Reconcile the Violence
by betaadamantium
Summary: The Weapon Plus Program wants Logan back, and will go to any lengths to reacquire him. But things never go according to plan. Part Three in the Heart's Blood series.
1. Chapter 1

With the moon in the new phase, the sky was a rich, dark blue just fading into night from twilight, shot through with stars that twinkled through the atmosphere. The warm early-summer air smelled like lilacs from the outdoor gardens, freshly-cut grass and chlorine from the pool, and the two figures lying on the slope of the roof could hear splashing and laughter from that general vicinity. Someone had turned on a radio, apparently one of the adults because it was classic rock instead of hip hop or pop, so that Bob Seger's gravelly voice rolled over the words about a musician on the road.

Not that the couple were particularly aware of it, since they were necking like teenagers. Teva's hands were tangled in Logan's wild, black hair as he lay on his back, one arm secure around her middle while his other hand worked its way up the back of her shirt. She nipped at his lower lip, biting down harder when he growled approvingly and stopping just short of drawing blood. There was a time and place for their particular brand of intimacy, and the mansion's roof was not it.

A loud wolf whistle broke them apart and they looked up to see Rogue flying over, waving and grinning. "Don't mind me, y'all!" she said, banking around until she was out of sight again.

Teva snickered, reaching up to push her hair back out of her face. "Guess we should be glad that was'nae one of the kids."

Logan grinned at her. "Not like they don't see that when the teenagers are makin' out in the rec room like us adults are blind." He gave her one more kiss, just a press of lips against hers, before he sat up and pulled her with him, settling her between his legs so that her back was against his front. His arms wrapped around her and she leaned back against him, sighing happily.

"The view is amazing up here," she commented quietly. "Even if all you can see is the tops of trees, and the sky. I used to backpack in Scotland when I was a lass, and I liked to find places where there was no light pollution so I could see all the stars. I sometimes forget living in cities just how much I miss that."

He kissed her temple, nuzzled his face against her neck and breathed in her scent, Ivory soap and the lavender shampoo she used, motor oil on her shirt from working on her car earlier that day. "I'll hafta take you up to Canada sometime, way up north where there's nothin' but snow an' animals an' trees. Seems like there are more stars than sky up there."

"Mmmm, I'd love that." She snuggled as much as she could, hooking her hands over his arms. "I have'nae been camping in a verrae long time."

"Maybe when school's out, we'll go."

"It's a date, then." Contentment radiated from her like a heat lamp, carrying with it its own scent, soft and sweet.

Logan felt his breath catch and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Marry me."

She jerked at his words, pulling away and turning slightly so that she could look at him. "What did ye say?" she asked, heart pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it.

He steadied her, his hands strong and sure. "Marry me," he repeated. "Ain't no other place I wanna be than at your side, Teva. Telepathy or not, you got your fingers wrapped 'round my heart so tight it hurts. Feel like I can't breathe when I see you sometimes."

Tears burned in her eyes suddenly, and she felt her own breath catch. Her throat was tight with emotion, a million things swirling through her head, but none of them doubts.

He tucked her hair back behind her ear. "You've seen every part of me there is, the dark places I never thought I could face, and you haven't run. Haven't let me run, either."

She took a shaky breath, let it out slowly, leaning into his touch when he stroked her cheek. She knew he wasn't quite finished yet but wouldn't have been sure what to say had he given her an opportunity to speak.

"I know I ain't got much to offer, I ain't got but the one name an' not a whole lot to show for it. We're good together, an' I love you, ain't a doubt in my head I wanna spend the rest o' whatever life I got with you." He let go of her long enough to dig in his pocket and retrieve the ring he'd been carrying around for the last couple of weeks. "Teva, marry me?"

"Logan, I -" She looked down, first at his hand holding the ring, and then back up at him. "Aye, I'll marry ye." Her voice trembled and she leaned up into him to kiss him, to let the emotion out that way, because she didn't feel like she could keep it contained. When she pulled back he took her left hand and slid the ring on, and she got her first good look at it: a flat band of some silver metal, titanium she thought, with a vine pattern that looked suspiciously like the one on the fretboard of her favorite Ibanez guitar. An opal the size of the nail on her little finger broke the vines, glinting with a hint of fire even in the dark.

"I had it made custom," Logan told her. Relief at her agreement flooded through him, the worry of a million other men before him washing away. He laced his fingers with hers. "Didn't want somethin' a ton o' other women already have, I wanted it to be special."

"Oh, Logan." She reached up and cupped his face, kissed him again before wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tight. "It's beautiful, _mo chride_ , it's perfect. I dinnae ken how ye kept this a secret, though."

He laughed softly, reaching up to sheepishly scratch at the back of his head. "Honestly ain't got a clue, darlin', kept thinkin' you were gonna pick up on it. For two weeks now I been sweatin' bullets and hopin' it'd be a surprise. Wasn't sure I'd make it."

"Well, ye have been a wee bit skittish but as ye get that way sometimes anyway, I did'nae think anything of it." She lifted her head and inhaled. "I think the others are starting the barbecue. We should join them and share the news."

"I'd rather keep you to myself," Logan grumbled, but he got to his feet and helped her up, too. "You sure you wanna be the center of attention?"

Teva cocked her head to the side. "That is'nae a thing that's ever bothered me, Logan. I'd much rather it be my friends than a few thousand screaming strangers, aye?" She climbed through the dormer window first and waited for him to come in before heading down the stairs from the attic. "Not that I'm no already extroverted, mind you, I just feel more comfortable around people that I ken."

He caught her arm when they hit the main floor, pulling her close before they went outside to join the others. "Quick question: you want a long engagement?"

She pursed her lips for a moment while she considered. "No, that feels too much like I'm using the time to consider whether or not I'm making a bad decision. I see no reason to drag it out."

"Alright, same here. What about the wedding? Big? Small?"

"Oh, small, definitely, probably just here on the grounds. I dinnae care for anything too fancy, either, I'd much rather be comfortable." She smirked. "I believe you once told me that I'm no much of a lady since I wear steel-toe combat boots, and you were right. I dinnae care to wear a dress if I dinnae have to."

"So I don't gotta wear a tux?" He visibly relaxed when she shook her head. "God, I knew there was a reason I loved you." He took her hand in his, kissed her forehead. "You ready, baby?"

Charles Xavier was beaming at them from his seat near the door where Hank and Scott were grilling. _~I believe congratulations are in order, but I won't spoil your news.~_

"I was wondering when you two were going to join us," Scott spoke up, half his attention on them and half on the burgers he was flipping. "Rogue said you were up on the roof."

Teva smirked and put her arm around Logan. "So what if we were, Scott? You gonna tell me you've never been up there messing around with a girl?" She caught a hint of grief from him and almost apologized until a smile appeared on his face.

"We're not all interested in running the bases, Teva. At least not all of the time."

"Speak for yourself, Slim," Logan said. "'Sides, I can't see Emma ever unwindin' enough to make out somewhere she could get caught."

The unmistakable scent of Dior floated on the breeze, heralding the White Queen's arrival before she came into sight. She'd dressed down for once, was actually wearing jeans (designer, of course) with a white top, her platinum blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail. "One must always keep a certain amount of dignity, Wolverine, and not allow their ... baser instincts to take over. It's what separates us from the animals that walk on four legs, is it not?"

Teva could feel the anger that rose up in Logan and knew that he was aware Emma was trying to get a rise out of him, combined with his feelings that Scott wasn't honoring Jean's memory so soon after her passing, but she knew what had gone on there and didn't judge any of them. Sometimes you just found love where you needed it. "C'mon," she said quietly, squeezing him with her arm. "I think there's drinks over by the pool."

Logan let her lead him away but didn't relax until Emma was behind them. "Smug bitch," he grumbled.

"She's just a socialite who thinks she needs to mark her territory, seems to think this place is hers." Teva bent when she got to the cooler and pulled out two bottles of Pepsi, handing him one. Since her concert in Tokyo eight months ago she hadn't touched alcohol at all, though she'd had cravings for it and had trouble sleeping without it until she learned to live without it; but, like all alcoholics, even one more drink would set her off again and it just wasn't worth it. Logan helped keep her honest.

"Thinks she's better than you," he said, accepting the second bottle.

Teva's eyebrow rose. "Oh? And how's that?"

"She's a class 9 telepath, an' you're what, a 4?"

She rolled her eyes. "Aye, and she's got fake tits and that's neither the nose nor the hair color she was born with, should I be jealous of that, too?" She fiddled with the cap from her soda bottle. "Dinnae go fighting battles for me, Sir Knight. She is'nae even worth the time it takes to worry over."

"I just don't like someone talkin' bad about - oof!" Logan was cut off by a small child tackling him around the middle, and he looked down to find Rosie with a death grip on him. "Hey, kid, what's up?" he asked, patting her back awkwardly.

"Julian's teasing me again!" the brunette girl said, looking up at him with big blue eyes. She'd become much more independent in the time she'd lived at the school with her younger twin sisters, but she still latched onto Teva and Logan as something like surrogate parents, or at least older siblings. "Except Mr. Summers said we're not allowed to use our powers against other students and I just think that's stupid."

"I know, Rosie, but you gotta listen to 'im." He disengaged himself from her and crouched down so he could look her easily in the eye. "But sometimes you gotta stick out for yourself," he said, lowering his voice so that only the girl and Teva could hear. "Pop 'im one the old fashioned way an' make sure you don't get caught, 'cause I sure as hell ain't gonna 'fess up to tellin' you to do it."

The bright smile that lit up Rosie's face was radiant and Teva watched the way it transformed Logan's body language, from wary to proud. She'd never paid much attention to how he was with the kids, mostly because all he usually did was grunt at them or yell at them in combat class, never really showing any true affection for them. Sometimes one got under his skin, crawled into that spot in his heart he thought had been boarded up a long time ago.

Teva reached out, needing to touch him suddenly. "I will'nae breathe a word of it, either," she promised. She fully expected the girl to go bounding off to exact her revenge but she was staring very intently at the hand Teva had placed on Logan's shoulder.

"Are you guys getting married?" she asked louder than necessary. Several heads turned in their direction at the exclamation. "Lemme see, lemme see!" Rosie demanded, grabbing Teva's hand and nearly knocking Logan over in the process.

Jubilee and Kitty had stopped playing checkers on the lawn and came over to join the spectacle, Rosie still cooing over the ring like it was the best thing she'd ever seen.

"Am I hearing wrong?" Jubilee asked, sidling up to Logan as he stood and draping her arm over his shoulders, easy for her to do with her extra height. "Is my Wolvie getting married? After I carried such a torch for you, too, you're killing me here."

"Stow it," Logan grumbled, giving her a big hug. "Yeah, I asked her, she said yes. You ain't too mad at me, are you, darlin'?"

She gave him a smacking kiss on the mouth and grinned. "Of course not, Logan! I always wondered if you'd wanna get hitched again, after Mariko, and I'm glad it's Teva."

The woman in question was now holding Rosie, who'd jumped on her back like a little monkey. She'd heard Jubilee's words and glanced over to find Kitty eyeing her closely, like the Jewish woman expected her to do something; Teva had never had trouble getting along with Jubilee, the Chinese woman full of bubbly energy and accepting of nearly everyone, especially if Logan decided he liked them.

Kitty, on the other hand, had always been something of a closed book to her, being quiet and keeping to herself when she was in town visiting from Chicago, where she went to college. Their first meeting had been strange, Teva remembered, with Logan being uncharacteristically affectionate with her, and how Kitty had seemed suspicious of it. Nothing had ever come of it but Teva always felt as if she were being watched and silently weighed, judged, to determine whether or not she was worthy of Logan's love. She supposed she could understand it if Kitty were merely jealous of her, except it wasn't that, the younger woman had never had designs on his body the way Jubilee had teased about having.

So she stood there and listened to Rosie babble while trying to figure out what was going on, if there was going to be trouble with Logan's adopted daughter, at least until Remy distracted her from her thoughts.

"Begone, _petite monstre_ ," he said, removing Rosie from her back and shooing her off so that he could properly embrace his 'little sister.' "What on eart' have you gone an' done, _chere_?" he asked, holding her at arm's length.

"I've gone and gotten engaged, _mon frère ainé_ ," Teva replied, leaning up so she could kiss his cheek. "Seems you'll have a brother-in-law verrae soon."

"You growin' up, Teva, right before Remy's eyes." Remy let her go but kept his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Before he know it, you'll have your own _bébé_ runnin' around stealing hearts."

Teva went stiff but managed to keep the smile on her face, even as Logan sent a questing thought to her. _~I'm okay~_ she assured him. _~Remy just caught me off guard asking about kids.~_

 _~We'll talk about that later.~_ She felt Logan 'touch' her, a comforting feeling against her astral self that took away some of her anxiety. Some remained behind as she wondered whether or not she was even capable of having children with her family history of miscarriages and barrenness, and whether or not that would effect Logan's feelings about marrying her. She clamped down on that, hard, and tried not to let it bother her.

Their other teammates were making their way over to offer their congratulations, asking if they'd set a date, what kind of wedding they were planning, typical questions for a newly engaged pair. They had the benefit of being able to converse over their telepathic link in shorthand to answer with little hesitation despite the fact they'd been engaged for little over a half hour now. Every time Teva thought of that she felt like giggling, her emotions quickly heading back towards elation, and before she knew it they'd decided to get married in one month, in the gardens, surrounded by friends and family.

Logan, finally having booted Remy from his fiancée's side, felt just as joyous as she did, remembered feeling this way when Mariko had agreed to marry him. It was the thought that this woman, that _any_ woman, would choose to put up with him 'til death did they part, that made him want to crow and preen like a peacock. Pride and love warred for dominance and finally settled for sharing space, taking up so much of his mind that he belatedly noticed the way Kitty held herself apart, looking less than pleased.

When Teva broke to go fiddle with the music, he went to his 'daughter.' "What's up, kittycat?" he asked. "Ain't you happy for me?"

"Of course I am," she replied, attempting a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, but I don't like it when you lie to me. That shit ain't ever flown with me, Kitty Pryde, and it ain't gonna start anytime soon. So tell me what's buggin' you 'fore I drag it outta you."

She scowled. "I just think you're rushing into this," she said. "I mean, one month? Don't you need more time to plan?"

Logan squinted at her. "What's it matter how long the engagement is? She an' I have been together for over a year now, all told. Hell, I was with M'iko for less time, an' you seemed overjoyed when she an' I were gonna get married, even though it meant I'd be livin' in Japan most of the time." He touched her arm and felt how tense she was. "Is that it? You think I'm gonna run off somewhere an' you won't see me?"

"Well, Teva's from Scotland, I thought -"

"That's your problem, girl, you're thinkin'. C'mere." He hugged her, kept her close. "Teva's home is here, now, has been for some time. So's mine. I ain't goin' anywhere, sweetheart, not if I can help it."

"Well, I feel like a boob. I don't even know why I'm worried, I just - I hate change, you know that."

Logan kissed her cheek. "S'ok, darlin'. We all gotta deal with change, but this is a good one. Ain't nothin' changin' but some vows bein' taken, I'll still be ol' Logan." He hooked his arm with hers. "C'mon, kittycat, let's get some food and go listen to the music."

Teva caught him when he returned, gave him a kiss that recalled the heat between them up on the roof without being too revealing. "Everything okay?" she asked, nodding at Kitty who was talking to Ororo and Jubilee.

"All's well," he said. "You think maybe we can slip away from the party?" he asked, bumping his hips up against hers. "I got a powerful need to strip you naked and make you forget your name."

"And hear me scream yours?" She grinned and nipped his bottom lip before pulling away. "Later, _mo gille_ , I'm famished. Need to get some food in my stomach before I can even contemplate anything else."

"Hey, Teva!" Scott was calling her name from the back steps and holding up the cordless phone. "It's for you!"

She gave Logan one more kiss. "Make sure the hordes dinnae devour the food before I get back." She danced away from a swat on the ass and made her way back towards the mansion, thanking Scott as she took the phone and went inside to get away from the noise.

"This is Teva."

"I did'nae ken if I'd ever hear your voice again, lass."

"Da?"

"Aye, Teva, and I'm afraid I've no called with good news. Your mother has passed on."


	2. Chapter 2

Teva kept walking in a daze into the rec room across the hall from the kitchen. "Mum is dead?" she repeated, sinking onto the couch. "When?"

"Just this past Tuesday," James Lawson replied. His voice was slightly tinny, likely because of the long distance. "I debated whether or no to call ye, Teva, as I ken the two o' ye had your differences."

"How - how did it happen?" She could feel herself shaking, looked down at her free hand to see it tremble before she curled it into a fist. "I did'nae ken she was ill." Her accent was broadening even further than usual at the sound of his voice and the cadence of her childhood. A sharp pang of homesickness hit her despite the fact that she was already home.

He sighed. "She'd been having stomach pains for a while, I'm no sure how long because y'ken how she was. She collapsed while she was out doing the shopping, by the time I got to hospital she was still unconscious; they diagnosed stage 4 pancreatic cancer with no hope of recovery, and..." He paused, his voice cracking. "And then she was gone. I wanted ye to know, lass, in case ye wanted to travel in for the funeral in two days."

"Da, I ..." She bit her lip, nearly hard enough to draw blood, the pain giving her something else to focus on. "I dinnae think I'll be doing that, Da. We said our good-byes years ago and I dinnae care to open up old wounds just to see that she's gone. I learned a long time ago that I never had much of a mother to begin with."

There was a silence on the other end for a moment before he spoke again. "And I did'nae make sure that ye had much of a father, either, and I'm that sorry. It's one o' the things I regret most." He paused. "Aye, I understand. And I'll ask ye how you're doing, as it's been too long since we've spoken."

Teva leaned back against the couch, slouching down until her head rested against the back. "Um, I'm well, actually. I'm a teacher, now, at a school for... for people like me. And I met a man here, Logan, we're to be married." She hadn't meant to tell him that, had long ago accepted that he wasn't a part of her life of his own volition, had never been there for her when she'd been a child and desperately in need of at least one parent who wouldn't throw heavy objects or curse at her for nothing. "I'm verrae happy here, happier than I ever thought I could be."

"Happier than ye were when ye left Perth and joined your band?"

"Aye, much. I'm who I really am, here, and there is'nae anyone who looks down on me for it."

"Your man, does he treat ye right?"

Despite herself, she gave a small smile and looked at her left hand and the newly-placed ring. "Aye. We've had our share of squabbles but he's a good man, honorable and honest, and he does'nae leave me wondering where I stand with him."

"Is he a teacher, too?"

"Aye. Most of the adults here are, though it's no a requirement for living here. We all contribute where we can."

He was silent again for long enough that she checked to see if they'd gotten disconnected.

"No, no, I was just thinking. I saw on the telly, a while back, about these superheroes in New York. The X-Men, I think they were called, taking care of some evil creature."

She remembered that, the day the X-Men had been called out to take care of a monster that the Mole Man, self-proclaimed king of the underground, had unearthed in the middle of Times Square. It had been her first official mission and she'd been terrified.

"And you're wondering if I ken anything about that." It was more a statement than a question.

"I suppose there could be other mutants involved." She knew the tone of his voice, the one he used when he was searching for information without wanting to come right out and ask.

"Does it matter, Da?" she asked.

"Aye, it matters."

"I do ken." She sighed. "And I'll answer your next question before ye even ask it: yes, I'm one of them. And no, I dinnae intend to stop anytime soon."

"As much as I'd like to argue with ye, Teva, I ken it'd be a losing battle. Ye always were headstrong and stubborn as a mule. All I'll ask is that ye be careful, I dinnae care to lose ye before I'm gone as well."

She picked at lint on the couch and felt relief that there wouldn't be an argument over it. "Are ye doing well, Da? Physically and financially, I mean."

"Hale and hearty as ever, lass, us Lawsons always live to see a century o' life. And as for money, I'll tell ye the same thing I always tell ye: you're not to worry."

"Dinnae waste your breath, Da." As soon as she'd had enough money she'd sent some back, hoping to ease the burden of her parents' one-income household, more to help her father than her mother. As a bricklayer he'd made decent money but they'd only ever been barely comfortable, sometimes having to scrape by when there was little work to be had. Why she'd cared she didn't know. "Did she suffer much, before she passed?"

"A bit, aye. She was'nae verrae lucid the last couple of days, between the pain and the medication they had her on. She asked for ye, more than once."

Guilt leapt up and gripped her throat, still fresh after so many years. Guilt that she couldn't be enough for her mother, couldn't be good enough so that her mother wouldn't be so disappointed, wouldn't worry so much or want to kill herself bi-monthly. "She - what did ye tell her?"

James cleared his throat. "I told her ye were on your way. At the end she seemed to think ye were there." His voice hitched, the most emotion she'd ever heard from him. "She said she was sorry, Teva."

It squeezed, the guilt did, and made it hard to breathe. Teva tilted her head back and sought the calm Logan had helped her find, and it was then she realized she'd shut the link off completely. If he wasn't already coming to find her, he'd be thinking of doing it soon, wondering why she'd shut him out after getting a phone call. "I wish she'd said that before I left home," she replied. "Does'nae do me a lot of good, now, when I cannae speak to her."

"Ye could have called or visited, Teva."

Now anger bubbled up to take the guilt away. "Aye, and gotten a lecture for it on how I was a disappointment. I gave up hoping to reconcile with her when I was a wee lass, Da, when I realized I could'nae even have friends because my mother was an abusive drunk. I could'nae even count on _you_ to shelter me and give me comfort because ye were too busy catering to her every whim and hoping she would'nae come down on ye instead o' making sure your child was'nae a target." Her breath came short now and a headache began to pound a tattoo in her temple, precursor to a migraine.

"You're right." The admission did almost nothing to allay her anger, almost made it worse coming too little, too late. "I was'nae the father I should have been to ye."

"No, ye were'nae." Unconsciously she dug her short nails into her palm, seeking clarity in the pain. "I'm sorry she's gone, Da, for your sake, but nothing has changed. I've a family here, one that's never said an unkind word to me that I did'nae deserve. I've found my home."

A silence grew between them for several long beats, neither one sure what to say. James finally spoke.

"I've two trunks here, of your things. Shall I send them to ye?"

She had to take a few breaths to get herself back under control. "Aye, I'd appreciate that. Just send them to Xavier's Institute and I'll reimburse ye for shipping. I need to go, Da."

"Alright then. Take care o' yourself, lass."

"I will." She hung up then, carefully set the phone down on the coffee table with shaking hands, and got up. For a moment she hesitated, not sure what to do, before deciding she didn't want to cry where any of the mansion's residents could walk by. She left the rec room and took the stairs down to the adult's wing, all but running by the time she hit the hallway to get into her room as the need to fall completely apart chased her down and claimed her.

Teva collapsed on the bed, curling into a ball facing away from the door and hugging Logan's pillow to her as the tears came. So rarely did she cry that her sobs were painful, made her throat burn and want to close up, her head throb even more painfully. Pain and rage boiled in her gut. But she couldn't stop, couldn't do anything but try to empty herself of the grief she felt, not over the death of her mother but over nearly two decades of knowing she was alone. Over the loss of a childhood she'd never had.

She didn't hear the door open and close, didn't notice the bed shift, didn't notice anything until strong arms pulled her into an embrace and rocked her. She abandoned the pillow and burrowed into her fiancé's body, listened to the nonsense he murmured as he rocked her, words in Japanese she only half-understood.

"Let me in, baby," he said, pressing against their link. He could only nudge, couldn't open it himself not being a telepath. "Don't take it all on yourself."

With some effort she opened the door and felt him on both planes, surrounding her completely with his love and his protection. Instead of calming her it made her cry harder for the fact he was there and wasn't going to leave her, wasn't going to let her be hurt by anyone else. She'd found shelter in him she'd never thought she could have.

"Oh, sweetheart." Logan rubbed her back and held her tighter, pushed as much comfort as he could across the link and finally, gradually, she began to calm.

The crying jag left her feeling hollow, like someone had reached into her body and scooped out her insides leaving nothing behind except an echoing vastness. She remained in the safety of his arms a few more moments before easing away. "I need to wash my face," she said quietly, asking him to let her go. He obliged and she slipped into the bathroom, turning on cold water to splash on her face, and in the mirror she could see her skin gone blotchy and red, eyelashes clumped together from tears. A few drinks of water calmed her throat but her head was still pounding, the entire right side now taken over by the headache, so she swallowed three Excedrin before going back into the bedroom.

Logan had flopped backwards onto the bed, his legs hanging off the edge, and he sat up as she came out. "C'mere," he said, holding his hand out to her.

She came to him, sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"So your mother passed away," he said, making it a statement rather than a question. "I'm guessin' you're more angry than sad about it."

"I came as close to hate with her as I ever did without crossing that line," Teva replied. "And I'm angry that my Da could'nae even call me when she went into the hospital. Annoyed that I dinnae even ken what kind of difference that might have made, I doubt I would have flown out to see her, but ... I did'nae get the choice."

"He took it from you."

"Aye." She stroked his hair bound back behind his neck, the shoulder-length bundle thick and silky against her fingers. When she'd manifested her empathy she'd stopped touching people, finding that it was harder to shut things out when skin contacted skin; only when she'd come to Xavier's and learned control had it stopped being a problem, and Logan had slowly taught her that touch was something to look forward to. For a man who relied on his enhanced senses he was amazingly tactile and apparently that trait had transferred over their link.

Teva sighed. "And suddenly it all came back, the loneliness of growing up an only child, the fear of coming home from school thinking I'd find my mother had finally killed herself, the utter lack of a normal childhood. I could hear her voice telling me how much she hated me, how I was'nae good enough, feel the way she used to pinch me or slap me when I did'nae do exactly as she wished." Her fingers brushed over scars long since faded and the thought drew Logan's attention to them.

"That looks like a burn mark," he said, his voice carrying a growl that spoke of righteous anger.

She looked down at the thin line on the inside of her forearm, remembered when it was fresh and painful, now just a pale, raised mark that stood out against paler skin. "I left the iron on by accident."

"Jesus." He cradled her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, baby, that ain't no way to grow up."

"I sometimes feel like I have nothing to complain about, knowing what ye went through as a lad."

"Hey." He touched her chin to make her lift her head and look at him. He was a little angry with her, she felt. "I don't ever wanna hear you say that or think that again, you hear me? You been through hell, Tev, we both have, ain't a contest on who had it worse."

She breathed out through her nose, made a reply out of the sound.

"I'm serious."

"I ken, Logan." She laid her head back down and took in his scent, let smoke and leather and masculinity ground her in the moment, push back the lingering dread. It would remain, waiting, but at least for now she could ignore it. "It took me years to break free of the torment and the guilt that I was in the wrong, but like I said, it all came flooding back like I only just escaped yesterday."

"Why'd you shut me out?" he asked.

"I did'nae do it intentionally," she said, sitting up and slightly away from him. When she reached up to run her fingers through her hair she found it tangled so she got up and took her hairbrush from the dresser, a silver-backed antique she'd inherited from her grandmother Mary. "I still have a habit of shutting down when I get stressed, when I get a shock, it's one of the reasons I turned to alcohol."

"You ain't ever alone with me." Logan held out his hand again, this time for the hairbrush which she gladly gave him, sitting down again with her back to him. It still surprised her sometimes how much he enjoyed doing this for her, yet another intimacy between them. "I can feel how much you want a drink right now." He gathered her hair in his hand and began brushing from the bottom, working the tangles out there before moving further up. "And how much your head hurts. Close your eyes, baby, lemme help you."

Without hesitation she did as he asked, expecting him to massage her head and neck but not for him to use the link as well. Their astral forms entwined as he pushed calm and love to her, filled her up and pushed out the bad with good, and then he focused on the headache. She could see it in her mind as a black mass that pulsed and twisted with her heartbeat, growing steadily stronger even with the medication she'd taken.

Teva felt him physically touch her head with his hands, rubbing his fingers gently on her temples, down around and under her ears until he was massaging just behind them. The mass continued to pulse but became smaller, gradually, until finally it disappeared and she felt much better.

"What'd ye do?" she asked, rolling her head to stretch her neck when he let her go.

"Pulled it into myself, my healin' factor works better than yours. Felt it for about five seconds an' then it died."

She turned and pressed a kiss to his mouth, closing her eyes and focusing on the feel of him, the rasp of his stubble against her chin, the softer touch of his long sideburns a tickle against her palm. If she'd had his talent of drawing she'd have been able to sketch him without error, the lines worn into his face at eyes and mouth, the ever-present frown between his eyes, his heavy brow and the set of his jaw. Dark brown eyes with a ring of gold that could only be seen up close, betraying nothing without trust, and she could remember when they'd given away nothing to her, when she'd wanted so badly to get inside his head just to know what he was thinking.

Now, all she had to do was think of him and he was there, an open book before her that she never tired of flipping through.

"Thank you," she whispered when they parted. "I'm sorry I did'nae let y'ken what was going on. I should'nae have done that."

"But it's somethin' you'll work on?"

"Aye."

"Then no apology needed." With his hands still cradling her face he kissed her forehead. "Think you're up to goin' back to the party? I won't press you if you ain't."

Part of her wanted nothing more than to hole up in their room, change into pajamas and crawl under the covers, avoiding people until the sun came up again. As a girl she would have done just that, because there'd been no one else to go to, no one to worry about her, no family to take into consideration. No one would have cared. But now, she didn't find the prospect of going back a daunting one; waiting for her were people that loved her, as she'd told her father, people who'd support her and listen if she needed a shoulder or an ear.

"Aye, just let me plait my hair."

No one mentioned her disappearance when she reemerged, they merely pulled her back into the flow of things, made their compassion known in their own subtle ways. Just being surrounded by them, combined with Logan's presence, went miles towards helping her recover her balance.

Remy caught her at one point and danced with her, the radio station having been changed to oldies so that now Billie Holiday sang "You Go to My Head."

"I confess I dinnae really ken how to dance aside from shaking my arse," Teva told him.

"Ah, but Remy know how. Y'just follow his lead, _neh_?" He put her hands in the proper place and led her with slow, measured steps, the epitome of grace and elegance.

It was hard not to watch her feet because she was afraid of stumbling, but she just stumbled more when she paid attention to where her feet were going. "Ah, bugger," she said when she tripped.

"Eyes up here." Remy grinned down at her, the red irises of his eyes flaring in the dark. "It can' be that hard to look at Remy's handsome face, truly?"

Teva laughed softly. "What's true is that I feel like Ginger Rogers' younger, clumsier sister, while you could give Fred Astaire lessons."

Remy was touched by the comparison but was too smooth to blush, merely dipping his head in acceptance. "Well, Remy'll teach y' some moves, so y'can dance wit' your husband."

"Logan kens how to dance." She hadn't known that until that moment, picking it up from her mate across the yard talking to Rogue and Hank. He was keeping an eye and mind on her even here. "Which should'nae surprise me, really, considering how many other things he kens."

"Lot o' mystery in the little man," Remy agreed. "Do y'all have a special song?"

"He would'nae think so," Teva said, blushing. "'Hopeless Wanderer" by Mumford & Sons."

He touched her chin and tipped her face back up. "Why you blush like that, _chere_?"

"Sentimentality is'nae something I'm completely comfortable with, Remy." With her mind off her feet she was moving smoothly, gracefully, as Billie segued into The Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There." Her adopted big brother knew about her childhood, knew that she hadn't taken much with her when she'd left Scotland and never looked back; the less she viewed as important, the less she stood to lose.

"That's somet'ing you an' Logan have in common, then. He don' hang onta much 'less it's somet'ing extra important."

Teva nodded, still following his lead. "Like the Yashida honor sword."

The roguish Cajun smiled. "An' the guitar pick he keep in his wallet."

"What?"

He laughed at her astonishment. "Oh, girl, you didn' know?" He threw his head back and laughed again. " _Ma belle_ , y'see Remy's point _exactement._ He been carryin' that pick aroun' since y'all first started dating. Remy only know 'cause it fell out one day while he was payin' the tab at Harry's."

A smile spread across her face and she ignored Logan's query as to its origin. "I lose so many picks I did'nae even realize one was missing. And it's easy enough to keep hidden." She shook her head ruefully. "I will'nae say anything to him about it, certainly not that you ken."

"It would be a kindness, Teva. Remy don' want the Wolverine -"

He was cut off by a telepathic order from Scott via Emma: _~X-Men in the hangar in 15, we've got a situation. Suit up. I'll explain en route.~_

"Just how I wanted to end my evening," Teva groused as she and Remy jogged back towards the mansion with the others.


	3. Chapter 3

Logan was buzzing, body on high alert as he waited in the hangar for the others. Were he anyone else he'd be shifting impatiently or doing some obnoxious repetitive action; instead he was crouched, mentally going through sword forms to keep his mind sharp for the coming encounter, eyes half-closed in concentration. He'd left his cowl off, hanging down his back with no need for it at the moment.

It had been something of a relief to him when they'd gone back to their varied uniforms, being more comfortable in something he'd been wearing for years, and it hadn't taken a rocket scientist to realize that black leather made people uncomfortable. As Teva had observed once, it put people in mind of crazed bikers (which yeah, Logan fell under that heading, but not usually when he was doing the superhero thing).

It was yet another variation on his blue-and-yellow togs, just a change of design, and it was as comfortable as his own skin. He'd missed it.

Teva was the next to enter, just a couple minutes behind him, and his eyes rose to run over her body encased in what looked like thick, matte black latex. She'd blatantly refused anything flashy in favor of a color that made her skin look almost translucent, with subtle royal blue accents, and she'd left it unzipped at the neck so that the edge of black script under her left collarbone peeked out; once they were on the ground she'd zip it all the way up under her chin.

A double holster hooked around her shoulders and was secured by a clip under her breasts, placing an XD-45 handgun beneath either arm with the barrels pointing down and back; her utility belt secured another holster with a Glock 18C on her right hip that was further anchored around her thigh, the belt also holding various implements as well as spare ammunition. A fourth and final gun was strapped to her right ankle over her combat boot, a small Semmerling that was purely backup in case she lost her other firearms.

The entire uniform was lined with bullet-stopping Kevlar, heavier in the torso and lighter around the limbs for ease of movement, the whole suit made of flexible carbon nanotube fibers that resisted tearing and offered protection to her skin. It might seem like overkill but if saved her life, neither one was going to complain.

She was pulling on a pair of fingerless gloves as she came in, flexing her hands to ease the fit. The modified goggles/glasses she used sat atop her head, ready for use; the lenses were clear and would protect her eyes in addition to enhancing her sight. They could also convert to night vision if she needed it. "Why am I no surprised you're in here first?"

"I been doin' this longer."

"Stop staring at my tits."

His eyes rose and found her smirk. "Sorry, got distracted."

She _hmmphed_ at him. "Dinnae make me put a hollow-point bullet in your ass, _mo dubh_. You'll heal but it will'nae feel good and y'ken how cranky that makes you."

He snickered and stood up. "Ain't my fault you look like that, babe. You usually only do the skin-tight thing when you're on stage."

"Just as long as you dinnae get 'distracted' while we're out heroing."

"No chance o' that happenin'." He'd be more distracted by her safety than her chest.

Scott stepped in, followed by Emma and then Kitty, Remy and Rogue. "Get loaded, guys, we're just waiting on Hank and Ororo."

Kitty worked on pre-flight while the rest of the team got situated on the Blackbird, taking up the jump seats behind the pilot and co-pilot stations.

 _~See, compared to Frost I'm downright frumpy~_ Teva sent to Logan, strapping in next to him. _~One good yank and her whole top comes off, I swear she's breaking the laws of gravity in that get-up.~_

He gave her a look, noticing the motion sickness patch behind her ear bared by her braided hair before she turned to look at him again. _~Well hey, if that happens, the bad guys'll get distracted. Should make things easier.~_

Teva sniggered, bouncing her leg with unrepressed restlessness. Luckily Scott came on-board with Hank and Ororo, the latter two taking their places with the rest of the team while their leader took his place as pilot. Take-off was smooth and controlled as always, which wasn't enough to put Logan's mind off the fact he was flying, something he hated more than most things in the world.

"Alright," Scott said when they were in the air, angling his chair so he could see all of his troops. "Sit-rep: there's a halfway house in Brooklyn that caters to mutants, one that the professor works closely with. We got a call half an hour ago about a disturbance that sounded a lot like our old friend Deadpool and at least one another unidentified player. Communication was cut off before we could get the rest of the story and Emma and Xavier were unable to get more telepathically."

"Are we looking at some sort of hostage situation?" Ororo asked. "It _is_ Deadpool we are talking about, after all."

Scott shook his head. "That's unclear at this point. Luckily the halfway house wasn't full, with maybe ten residents and five staff. The residents have to sign a waiver saying they won't use their powers while on the premises but there's no way to tell what they'd do in a crisis, so just keep in mind they might panic and attack us and try to avoid hurting them. Our goal is to neutralize the threat of anyone who shouldn't be there and, if we can't, to get the residents to safety."

"So who's Deadpool?" Teva asked Logan when Scott finished, leaning a little closer to him in his seat beside her so that their legs touched.

"Mercenary," he replied. "Went through Weapon X, later than me, they actually took my healin' factor and injected him with it so he's as hard to kill as me. Likes guns and swords, never shuts the hell up, doesn't really have any problems if bystanders get in the way." He pushed calm along their link because her nervousness was starting to affect him. "Oh, and he's pretty much nutty as squirrel shit."

"You have to be a special kind of crazy to dress up and do what we do," Teva replied. She stopped bouncing her leg and took a deep breath. "I ask myself every time I do this what on earth I'm thinking and wonder if I've finally gone off the deep end."

Logan put a hand on her knee. "The day you stop askin' yourself that, the day you start enjoyin' it, that's the day you need to stop."

She covered her hand with his and closed her eyes, resting her head against the back of the seat. "I'll keep that in mind."

They spent the rest of the short flight in silence, not even speaking over their link, which was fine with Logan. He liked to remain focused as he went into a confrontation and he could feel that his intensity was leaking over to Teva, something that had begun happening when she'd become a full member of the X-Men and started going on missions. It meant she was more vigilant and had the benefit of his experience, and he found he couldn't complain about that side effect. Anything that upped her chances of survival was okay in his book.

When the Blackbird landed they left their civilian lives behind, adopting their codenames. Wolverine pulled his cowl on, out of the corner of his eye he noticed his mate pull her glasses down, adjusting them with a few quick touches. He heard her crack her knuckles under the sound of Cyclops' voice giving final orders, pressing his desire for as little bloodshed as possible.

* * *

Teva snorted at Cyclops' insistence on minimal violence, wondering if he'd truly paid so little attention to his Canadian teammate; she knew he hadn't and that it was just wishful thinking on their leader's part. She couldn't fault him for it, as she'd prefer less violence, but sometimes she saw Wolverine's way of thinking as the more expedient of the two. Of course their telepathic link meant that she picked up his feral nature and behaved a little more like him, with more ruthlessness and less hesitation.

She'd chosen the codename Echo as a nod to her powers, no matter that she was just as comfortable using her guns as she as using her telempathy.

After lessons she'd become much more proficient with firearms and she now carried a machine pistol (the 18C) in addition to the semiautomatic XD-45s, the automatic with an expanded 33-round clip requiring much more control; the first time she'd used the Glock she'd nearly hurt herself with the kickback, and even now if she wasn't careful she could sprain her wrist, which is why she now wore leather bracers on her wrists to keep them stable. She had one of the XD-45s in her right hand held at her side with the safety on and a round in the chamber, finger resting alongside but not in the trigger guard.

She followed Wolverine, her designated partner, keeping the same crouching stance he did as they moved across the roof and down the fire escape on the back of the building. There was nothing in the alley save dumpsters and random garbage, a beat-up Honda parked near the far end that Echo quickly checked for occupancy. _~Clear~_ she sent back to him. _~Whole alley is.~_

Wolverine nodded sharply from the other end where he was checking several steel drums. His sense of smell was telling him the same thing her telepathy told her, she read, though he got the worse part of the deal by also taking in the scents of rotting trash and other assorted disgusting things. Sometimes she didn't understand how he could live with his enhanced senses.

They both looked up simultaneously at a shadow moving overhead, Echo lifting her gun to track it as it sailed over their heads from the building the Blackbird had landed on to the next. She shook her head to indicate she didn't recognize the mental signature.

 _~Let's move~_ he told her, taking off without waiting for her at a loping pace that she kept up with easily after months of training, though she didn't move with quite the grace that he did. The halfway house was five blocks away from the 'Bird to aid in keeping the X-Men's arrival concealed and even though they'd come in under stealth there was still the possibility they could be seen; obviously that had already happened if that shadow had been any indication, not being one of their teammates. Wolverine and Echo moved down the back alleys avoiding the pools of light that created islands in the darkness, covering each other as they switched off on who took point and who watched their six as if they'd been doing this for years instead of months.

There were no more sightings of the other as they made their way to the alley behind the target building. Echo tried the back door and found it open, questing ahead and finding no one waiting for them while also sending calming suggestions to the inhabitants. She could feel two that were resisting it, one actively pushing her out while the other possessed a mind so slippery she couldn't even touch it. Behind her she heard Wolverine scenting the air and whatever he smelled had him growling low.

"Deadpool," he said quietly, then he swore. "And Wild Child."

The tone of his voice and his emotions told her he wasn't happy, anger at the merc they knew was there but also at the partner he'd just identified; he knew them both from his past. "Wild Child's another feral, darlin', he's gonna know we're here."

Echo responded by switching the semi-automatic to her left hand and unholstering the 18C with her right. "He felt my telepathy. Healing factor?" she asked.

"Yeah. Stronger 'n mine, he ain't got adamantium." He stopped prowling long enough to stand next to her. "How many you readin'?"

She closed her eyes, shutting out sight and reaching out with her mind. "20, all told, in the building. 22, now, Storm and Cyclops just came in the front." She jerked at the sudden outbreak of violence in the next room and her eyes shot open again. "Shit! Move!" she shouted, hurtling into the dark corridor ahead as rapid gunfire sounded at the other end, screaming and chaos filling her ears.

A blond man done up in what could only be described as bondage gear flew past her with the power of Storm's wind, his body slamming into the wall but the blow didn't put him down. He crouched as he slid to the floor and when he looked up his eyes were on Echo, a downright evil grin on his vulpine face with sharp teeth bared.

"Hello, cutie," he said. With one leap he was in the air coming for her with clawed hands extended and only by sheer force of will was she able to switch the safety off the gun in her left hand and squeeze off a couple rounds into his chest. He jerked with the force of hollow point bullets hitting him and remaining inside of his body instead of exiting through the back; they were designed to do that, to expand upon impact and cause more damage to the target rather than going through-and-through, and when facing someone who could heal the wounds it was a good asset to have. It didn't stop him, which she hadn't expected it to, and she had a sudden flashback to coming up against Sabretooth in the Weapon X facility. It was a strong memory that she shoved down violently before it could overtake her.

Up close she could see the piercings in his face and in his ears, the latter pointed at the tip like a cat's, and his eyes were the same feral amber of Creed's. She wondered briefly if all ferals were like that, even Logan's eyes held that hint of orange-gold in the right light, but she didn't have much time to reflect on it.

"You've got cat breath," she snarled at him, opening up with the 18C in his face. The controlled burst made blood splatter back on her, across the front of her uniform and face, as he jerked back and fell, twitching on the ground. She stepped over his body and looked around the room trying to take in as much detail as she could in as short a time possible.

Storm was gone, moving down the corridor Wolverine and Echo had come down with her cape flowing behind her. "The residents are down the back stairs," Echo told her over the comm in her ear.

Cyclops was grappling with a woman with blue skin and white hair, forced to use hand-to-hand instead of the long-range power of his optic blasts but he was equally capable with both forms of warfare.

Wolverine snarled something and out of the corner of her eye she saw a blur of red and black and silver deal him a blow that opened him up across the chest, and when he turned to fight back another took him across the muscles of his back, the wounds bad enough he hit the floor on one knee as his healing factor kicked in to take care of the damage. It was quick but it wasn't instant and he'd be down for a few moments.

Echo lifted her left hand and fired over his head now that he was down and his opponent stopped moving long enough to remain stationary. The man staring back at her was encased entirely in a suit of red and black with white over his eyes, one _katana_ strapped to his back and the other in his left hand, a bulky submachine gun in his right, and if she wasn't mistaken there was white writing on the firearm. The bullets took him in the chest and she thought she saw surprise on his face behind the mask before he used Wolverine as a springboard and flipped over him like a gymnast, aiming his gun at Echo and firing.

She crouched under the spray and had a moment to admire the guy's form before she was firing at him again with the Glock. He didn't seem terribly bothered by the bullets that hit him, and then he surprised the hell out of her by talking.

"Nice shot back there, by the way," he said, circling her and spinning his sword in his hand. "Didn't expect that from a girl, not even one who's boinking the rug back there. I mean, it's not like you gain skill in fighting through osmosis or something."

"Deadpool, I'm guessing?"

"Oh, she's heard of me!" He sounded inordinately pleased and gave her a little bow that wasn't entirely mocking, like he was genuinely happy she'd heard of him. "So did you get sick of being a rock star or do you still do that as a day job?"

Echo frowned and tried not to be put off by the steady patter of words. "Can we maybe pay attention to the fight at hand?" she asked. "If that's alright with you, that is?"

He nodded his head. "Sounds good to me. _En garde_!" He rushed her faster than she expected and she put up her arm to block him, felt the pressure of his blade against her forearm. "Hey, no fair, that's supposed to cut you!"

She grinned at him and fired in his face. "Sorry, bub, my armor's better than yours." She gave him another few bullets in the face until her gun clicked on empty and she jacked the spent magazine out, replaced the XD-45 and put a new magazine in the Glock.

By that point Wolverine was up again and he kicked Deadpool in the ribs, hard enough to send him flying into the far wall. "He won't stay down long, though I'm kinda surprised you held your own against 'im."

"Your vote of confidence is overwhelming. Maybe he was distracted by my tits," she replied sarcastically.

"I _totally_ was," Deadpool gurgled from his place on the floor.

"The fuck are you doin' here, 'Pool?" Wolverine asked him, crouching and holding his claws out at the fallen merc. "Tell me or the lady here gets to see just how ugly ya are."

Deadpool grimaced and sat up slowly. "Recruitment, what else? You recognized Wild Child over there, an' that's Copycat," he said, gesturing to the white haired woman who was unconscious on the floor. "Maverick'd be here but he said no."

Echo heard Wolverine's sharp intake of breath. "Mav? What about Wraith?"

The merc shook his head. "Nah, you know him, he wouldn't come back, either."

"Are they puttin' Weapon X back together?"

Echo jerked at that, staring first at Wolverine and then at Deadpool.

Deadpool nodded. "Yeah, wanna come back, old buddy?"

"Where's Vic?"

"Not here," Echo said, having scanned for him as soon as Deadpool mentioned Weapon X. "I cannae feel him."

"They're keeping him on a short leash," Deadpool told them. He reached up and scratched his chin, then his head. "You know how he is."

Wolverine growled.

"Were you after someone in particular here?" Echo asked. Up close to him she could see the writing on his gun: _How's my shooting? Call 1-800-Ded-Pool_ with the 'a' in 'Dead' scratched out.

Deadpool coughed, bright blood staining his mask, and he pulled it up over his chin. She could see that his skin was scarred heavily beneath the blood. "Thought Kane was here but he wasn't, then Wild Child decided to have some fun. He's as bad as Sabes when he wants to be." His head cocked to the side. "Oh, yeah, Wild Child's awake, by the way."

Echo was pushed forward, her head being forced into the floor repeatedly, painfully, until she felt her left cheekbone crack, the lens of her glasses shattering, too. She lay there in a daze and listened to the sound of gunfire and metal on metal as Deadpool and Wolverine went at it again; she struggled onto hands and knees and watched her blood drip onto the floor, trying not to puke before she was grabbed again.

Wild Child spun her around, snapping his teeth in her face. "Think it'll piss off Logan if I kill you?" he snarled at her.

She blinked at him, trying to think past the pain. Behind her Wolverine called her name. She shook her head to clear it and sense began to return.

"Think ye can do it before your head goes boom?" she replied, reaching for both of his ears and pumping kinetic energy into the metal hoops there until they glowed purple. She had a moment to see the surprise on his face and then she was blown back with the force of the explosion, her head thudding against the floor when she landed. Stars burst in her vision at the impact.

Wolverine appeared over her, his cowl pulled off as he checked her pulse. "Can you mimic off my healin' factor?" he asked. Under normal circumstances she could, using his proximity to strengthen hers, but he was really asking if she had the consciousness to do it.

"Need skin," she got out, the act of speaking painful with her broken cheekbone. He stripped off his glove and linked his bare fingers with hers, and with her mind she reached out down their link, taking enough to knit the bones back together, ease the force of the concussion. She felt him stroke her head with his other hand. Even with the aid she felt weak and unconsciousness ate at the corners of her vision, her entire head throbbing worse than it had with her earlier migraine.

"S'ok," Wolverine told her. "We're gettin' outta here. Just take it easy."

The last thing she was aware of before she closed her eyes was the voices of her teammates and her mate's arms lifting her.

* * *

The black script under her collarbone is "Deep roots are not reached by the frost" from the Tolkien poem "All That is Gold Does Not Glitter."


	4. Chapter 4

During the flight home and after, Logan could feel Teva drifting in and out of consciousness, floating and sinking but always in pain. She never mimicked enough from him to augment her healing factor and heal herself completely, only ever just enough to mend what needed mending and letting her body do the rest. He found he couldn't force it on her, that only she had the ability to engage her mimicry, and all he could do was be glad that she could do this at all. But that didn't mean he didn't get frustrated with her for not doing what he felt she needed to do; they'd had words about it in the past and likely would again in the future.

After she'd been checked out and given the all clear by Reyes, Logan carried her to their room, going through the methodical process of removing her weapons and making sure there were no bullets in the chambers, taking out the clips and setting them aside near their respective weapons.

Then he removed her holsters and began stripping her uniform off, struggling against her almost completely dead weight to remove the skin-tight material, careful not to jostle her too much. He counted the bullets embedded in the armor, six in the torso both front and back, one just below where her zipper had stopped, another two in the right thigh. He sent a silent thanks to Reed Richards and Tony Stark, who'd designed the armor for the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, for saving her life more than once. Her glasses, broken beyond repair, had been pulled off on the way home to check the wound.

She almost surfaced a few times even under the influence of the painkillers Reyes had given her, but after Logan cleaned the blood from her face and tucked her in wearing only her underwear, she subsided and remained asleep.

He sat on the side of the bed looking at her. The left side of her face was black and blue from the broken cheekbone, the bruising circling up around her eye though it was already less as her healing factor did its work. That was also part of what was keeping her asleep, it worked much more slowly but took much more energy than Logan's did, and even his own was still taking care of some of the internal damage from the fight with Deadpool. After Wild Child had attacked Teva again the merc had come after him and stabbed him more than once; Logan could feel his guts still knitting back together and his spine felt like it was burning, the knife having nicked him there more than once. Deadpool knew where to stab to get the most damage.

Leaving the connection open between them he left their room, still in his uniform, and headed down to the War Room to debrief with the team. The rest of them were also still in uniform though Scott had switched out his visor for his ruby quartz glasses and Ororo's cape was folded on the table in front of her.

"How is she?" the African goddess asked when he entered and took a seat next to her.

"She's out," he answered. "Still in pain but she's comin' out of it slowly. Figured it'd be better to let her sleep, she don't know anything I don't."

Scott nodded, having picked up the conversation. "That's alright, Logan. You spoke to Deadpool?"

"Yeah." Logan slouched in his chair, wincing in pain as his body continued to repair itself. "The blue chick you were fightin', that's Vanessa Carlyle, Copycat. You already know Wild Child. Those three together were part o' Weapon X after my time, an' 'Pool mentioned that Creed was workin' for 'em, too." He crossed his arms over his chest. "There were a couple other guys used to be on Team X along with me an' Vic, Kestral and Maverick, 'but 'Pool said they hadn't agreed to come back."

Rogue frowned from her seat. "So then what in the hell were they doin' at some random halfway house? Lookin' for someone else to join their crew?"

"They were lookin' for another old member, Kane. He's been off the grid for years now an' musta popped up for them to be searchin' for 'im."

"And what about you?" Ororo asked. "Certainly you would be an asset to that group, with the training you have undergone."

"He asked if I wanted to come back but he was only half-serious. He knows I'm done with that part o' my life." Logan shrugged. "God only knows what the department's got them doin' an' I don't want a part o' it." Several floors up he felt Teva shift, kept himself from smiling when she reached for his pillow and hugged it.

Emma gave a disdainful sniff and tossed her hair. "Luckily there was no one hurt by those lunatics. The residents of the house were safely kept below in something akin to a panic room though not everyone got inside before the mouth breathers showed up. Several of them were injured in trying to help their fellow mutants."

"I'm just glad that we didn't have to deal with any friendly fire," Kitty spoke up. "It's hard enough sometimes when it's just the team, it would have gone much differently if those other mutants had been involved with the fight."

"Did anyone else see anything? Hear anything?" Scott turned deliberately to the team who'd stayed outside, Hank who'd remained with the 'Bird, Remy and Rogue who'd circled the few blocks around the halfway house.

"Not a t'ing, _mon ami,_ " Remy replied. "Was as quiet as a church." Rogue nodded her agreement with a wrinkled nose; clearly she'd been spoiling for a fight and been denied.

Their leader sighed and shrugged. "I guess that's it, then. If any of you think of anything, make sure you let me or Ororo know. Otherwise, you're dismissed."

It was obvious he was looking for more but Logan wasn't too terribly concerned about helping in that area. He was more worried than he'd let on about what was going on with Weapon X, knowing that whatever they were involved in couldn't be good, it never was. They pretty much specialized in destroying as much as they possibly could for their own gain, or the gain of whoever was paying them the most money, and anyone who got in their way or tried to stop them stood a pretty good chance of disappearing off the face of the earth. He had a feeling it was a question of 'when' and not 'if' before they came after him to forcefully 'offer' him a place on the team.

He went back to his room and checked on Teva before stripping, his uniform going in the trash (he honestly didn't remember the last time he'd come back with it intact), and then taking a shower that left his skin temporarily pink. When he felt close to human again he washed his hair quickly and got out. He wasn't planning on going anywhere so he only pulled on a pair of loose pants.

His cell was on the dresser and he snagged it before going out onto their small terrace, leaving the door halfway open in case Teva needed something. He still had John Wraith's phone number and he called it, not really expecting an answer; sure enough it went to voicemail and he left a terse message that pretty much guaranteed Wraith would call him back. A second call was made, this one to Christopher Nord, who'd gone by the codename Maverick. When that went to voicemail, too, he left another message and then hung up, cursing. He hated feeling useless with no leads to track down, nothing to do except wait and hope one of them got back to him, and that was assuming either one of them had more info than he did now.

It wasn't his usual way. Under other circumstances he'd take off and hunt down any and all leads, even the ones he knew were slim chances, if it meant a resolution. Especially where Weapon X was concerned. After what had happened in the facility where he'd regained his memories he'd begun wondering when they'd pop up again, knowing it was only a matter of time before they realized he'd triggered the failsafe. Chances were they'd be looking to bring him back and in put him through reprogramming again now that he knew more about what had been done to him and had more of an idea on just who had done it, though to be honest he was still in the dark about a lot of it. Just because he remembered being experimented on and the faces of those who'd done it didn't mean he knew who was actually behind it, who'd funded and sponsored it; he was pretty sure that info was buried deep in government files somewhere, not having seen the light of day in decades.

He had responsibilities now, not just to his team but to the woman he was going to marry. She could understand and appreciate his loner nature but she'd made it clear in no uncertain terms that he was no longer by himself but rather part of a mated pair, and mates took care of each other. If one was in need the other one stepped up and did what was necessary, including smacking them upside the head and setting them straight if they faltered; she'd never agree to let him go off without her, not because he couldn't take care of himself but because she'd proven time and again she wasn't weak, that she could remain by his side without falling. He remembered their argument before going up to Canada nearly two years ago and how she'd asked him to either accept her or let her go.

It hadn't been much of a choice, no matter the fallout afterwards. Now he could no more deny her place in his life than he could deny his feral nature, and that part of him wouldn't let him shut out his mate. They were intertwined so strongly now it would be a type of death to lose her.

Logan looked out at the grounds of the mansion, easily able to see everything even without the lightening sky of approaching dawn. Not even twelve hours ago he'd proposed to Teva and he could still feel the overwhelming joy of her agreement, just as potent now, with the slightest undercurrent of loss trailing behind at the memories of Mariko and Itsu. He still loved them, a part of his heart would always remain buried with them in Japan, and he hoped they'd be happy for him and approve of the woman he'd chosen. While the three might be as different as night and day they had one thing in common: they'd shown him there was hope for a man like him.

He went back in and shut the door on the world waking up outside, adjusting to the quiet sounds of his bedroom. A fan on low sat on the dresser blowing towards the bed, rustling the sheets as it passed over them. Teva's soft breathing was the only other sound until he walked towards her and the wooden floor creaked beneath his feet, and as he climbed in after her she made a snuffling noise that turned into a protest when he tried to take his pillow back from her.

"Mine," she muttered, clutching at it even as he pried her fingers open.

"C'mon, baby," he said softly, reaching out to stroke her unbruised cheek. She nuzzled against his hand with a happy sound that never failed to make him smile. "That's it."

Teva relinquished the pillow even as she reached for him, automatically snuggling in against his body when he lay down beside her. It was still so strange to him that anyone would actively seek his touch, his companionship, need him so much that they'd reach for him in the midst of vulnerable sleep.

"Hi," she said sleepily.

"Hey. How're you feelin'?" he asked, shifting to get comfortable without moving her too much.

She made a grumbling noise. "M' face hurts."

"I know, baby." His arm automatically came around to cradle her, his hand resting on her hip. "You can mimic more from me, if y'need to." He knew she wouldn't but he had to offer.

"S'ok. Jus' need sleep." Already she was falling back into unconsciousness, roused only by his presence and her need to seek comfort in him before she could rest again. She always woke up if he came to bed after her, unable to settle down completely without him nearby even with their link letting her know where he was; she'd explained to him, not long after they'd first met, that touch was painful to her because it could trigger her telempathy without her consent, and that combined with a physically-unaffectionate childhood had left her wary of contact. Only as an adult had she learned to accept touch again and now she almost craved it, at least where Logan was concerned, so that she was always touching him when he was in the room with her.

His animal side found it couldn't complain because it craved touch, more as a need to mark her with his scent than anything else, but animals were always more comfortable with casual touch than humans were. Mammals that traveled in packs often slept in big piles for warmth and the safety of the young in the middle.

Logan's mind wandered to children and the thought of having them with Teva. There'd been apprehension from her when Remy had mentioned kids and they hadn't talked about it yet, a reluctance he didn't know the cause of. He'd figured they'd talk about it after the party but of course that hadn't happened, with first the fight in the city and then her coming home injured. Likely it had to do with her abusive upbringing and fear that she'd be a bad mother, which couldn't be farther from the truth if her interactions with the kids at the Institute were any indication, and she just didn't have a mean bone in her body when it came to kids. She wasn't built that way.

And he honestly wasn't sure if he wanted kids, anyway. As a carrier of the X-gene it was exponentially more possible he'd produce an X-positive child with a female mutant, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to put that kind of burden on a child in a world that was increasingly hostile towards their kind. And the kind of life he led was dangerous enough without bringing an innocent into the equation; Teva could make her own choices on being with him, weigh the risks and benefits and decide if that was a road she wanted to go down. She'd made it clear she was with him for the long haul no matter what that meant.

He'd really never had urges for children, at least not until he'd found a mate. It wasn't until he'd married Itsu that they'd actively tried to have a baby and while he was overjoyed, he'd have been content with just her as lover and companion. With Mariko they hadn't even gotten to the point where children would become an issue. He wasn't really sure of his own skills as a caretaker, his own ability to bring up a child and direct them on a path of good decisions and success. He knew he'd love them but he was prone to distancing himself for long periods of time when he felt his hold on his beast slipping, and the thought of subjecting a child to that made his stomach lurch.

Teva shifted in his arms and sighed, a sound that indicated she'd drifted off again. She was so beautiful, he thought, even with the livid bruising on her face, the kind of woman men like him didn't get chances with. He wouldn't call himself ugly because that would mean he actively paid attention to his own features when really, he just knew he looked like he'd been through it all and lived to tell the tale. He was short, hairy, gruff to the point of being an asshole most of the time, with nothing to offer a woman except strong hands and a heart he was constantly surprised to find he still had. He'd give all that and more to the woman who agreed to be his mate.

His fingers found the end of her braid and he played with it, brushing the strands against his skin. In the dark he could still easily see the color, the deep auburn that blazed with fire in the sun, a holdover from the days when the Vikings had conquered the northernmost end of the country where she was born. Her face held that wild nobility with high, sharp cheekbones and a full, wide mouth that always seemed on the verge of humor, as if she knew some great joke but didn't feel like sharing it with the world. The straight line of her nose was ruined only by a fracture received in a Danger Room session before she'd gained her mimicking power, leaving her with an injury that did absolutely nothing to take away from her beauty.

Her hand twitched where it lay against his bare chest and only stilled when he placed his hand over it, resting over his heart inside its metal cage. Bit by bit she was luring him down into sleep with her, a silken pull he found himself powerless against especially when he felt the rub of her body against his on the astral plane. Apparently she wasn't so far gone she couldn't enjoy him there.

A grin appeared on his face as he gave himself over to her.


	5. Chapter 5

Minor changes to end of chapter.

* * *

Teva rifled through the rack of clothing in front of her, wrinkling her nose at the scent of new, unwashed fabric. Sometimes she really hated mimicking Logan's enhanced senses, something that happened a lot without her even realizing it; she'd have to make sure to avoid the perfume counter when they passed by it on their way out into the mall or it would be instant migraine, and that was the last thing she wanted that day. She was out with friends and, as much as she hated shopping, female companionship was something she missed from her days in Antiheroine.

"Where's Jubilee?" Ororo asked, perusing a selection of tops.

Teva snorted. "Off looking at shiny baubles, no doubt. I swear the lass is like a magpie and will go and hoard her stash when we get home."

Kitty laughed at that. "You guys have no idea, really, I had to share a room with her when we were kids. I never had any room for my stuff by the time she was done."

Ororo smiled, shaking her head. "I suppose she will turn up when she has decided she is hungry. How I envy that girl's metabolism some days."

"Oh, tell me about it," Teva groaned, a hand to her abdomen. "Even with the healing factor I feel like I need to obsessively work out or I will'nae fit into my uniform. That thing is merciless, slimming color or no."

"Are you kidding me?" Kitty asked. "At least you've got hips, I'll forever look like a twelve-year-old with no butt."

Teva twisted around as if she could see her own behind that way. "Aye, well, if I could give you some of this, I would. Even if Logan is rather fond of it." He really was attached to it, enough to make regular remarks to that effect.

She was a little shocked at the compliment from Kitty. Their relationship usually only survived through the connection of the man between them, they'd never shared anything beyond that, which made Teva wonder if it was jealousy on the other woman's part. She would never come between them and their long-established bond, if anything she found herself a little envious at it and the sheer history the two had, sharing experiences Teva had no knowledge of. Kitty had gotten to see Logan's evolution from the gruff loner of the team to the man he was today.

"Are you seeing anything you like?" Ororo asked.

Teva shook her head. "Nah, it's more of the usual. I dinnae want that."

The weather goddess hooked her arm with the Scottish woman's so they could walk together. "You want to turn his head, make him see you as he has not before. I will make it my personal mission to see that you accomplish this goal."

Teva almost blushed and was glad for the strength of her shields or she'd be leaking gooey thoughts all over the place. Ororo was the sister she'd never had but always wanted, someone to commiserate with and share secrets with, someone who'd listen when she needed an ear. And for all Teva was comfortable with her own boyish style of clothing, it was hard not to be envious of a woman who always looked so effortlessly put-together. Ororo was the epitome of natural beauty and every other woman looked like a peasant in her presence.

They caught up with Jubilee at the jewelry counter where she'd indeed dropped a small fortune, but she was happy. The foursome went out into the mall proper, window shopping and going into stores only when something caught someone's eye. Teva saw a few possibilities that she stored away in her mind for later comparison but she felt out of her league as she'd never shopped for anything even remotely formal.

They were coming up on a video game store and she and Jubilee saw it at the same moment, Teva reacting by groaning and covering her face while Jubilee started laughing: in front of them was a cardboard cutout of Teva from when she'd been in Antiheroine, maybe six years ago now, looking younger and more naive than she'd ever thought possible; it was an advertisement for the upcoming version of Guitar Hero and she hadn't expected to see anything for it for another couple months at least. She just thanked her lucky stars they'd needed her permission to use her likeness though she wished they'd chosen a photo from when she'd looked less ... grungy.

"I think I'd be incredibly creeped out if I ran into one of these of myself," Kitty said, cocking her head to the side as she looked at it.

"Are you a playable avatar?" Jubilee asked. "Please, please tell me you are."

Teva nodded and tried to ignore the cutout. "I'm unlockable, apparently."

Jubilee pumped her fist in the air. "That is so freakin' i _cool_ /i! Does Logan know?"

"Aye, it was a condition, I would'nae have done it if he had'nae been okay with it. He thinks it's funny."

"Logan has an odd sense of humor," Ororo said. "Then again, he does not seem terribly bothered knowing that there are t-shirts with his alter ego on them."

"Didn't all the Avengers end up with their own merchandise?" Kitty asked as they moved on.

"I am the proud owner of Spider-Man underoos," Jubilee declared. "I think he's the only one who got underwear, though. I always wondered why that was, it seems kind of weird."

"There were Iron Man panties in Paris for a while," Teva replied. "It did'nae last very long, Tony does'nae exactly have a great reputation with the women. Personally I like my Captain America jersey, I dinnae feel quite so strange wearing that."

They came up on Nordstrom's and trooped in, and almost immediately Teva found herself drawn to a silk outfit of royal blue. It consisted of flowing, wide-legged pants that gave the illusion of a skirt and a form-fitting, sleeveless top with silver embroidery in something resembling Celtic knotwork along the V of the neckline. Unlike anything else she'd seen she knew she wanted to try this on and quickly found her size and took the items into the dressing room.

The reaction of her shopping companions told her this was it. "You look stunning," Ororo said, pulling her over to the three-way mirror. "That color is perfect with your skin and hair, and with a little make-up Logan will never know what hit him."

"I've got an idea for your hair," Kitty said, "as long as you don't mind it being braided."

"Thank you," Teva said, touched by the offer. "Any suggestions on shoes? That i _are'nae_ /i high heels," she added, heading Jubilee off at the pass. "I hate shoe shopping more than I hate shopping for clothes, there's a reason I stick with combat boots and Chucks."

That search took a little longer and, by the time they'd found a pair of flat sandals that laced up the calf, it was decided that lunch was in order. They reconvened at a table in the middle of the food court which, luckily, wasn't too busy.

Jubilee chattered away and the rest of them were happy to let her do it if it kept her out of trouble, even if some of the topics she chose were worse than others, and it wasn't until she brought up Logan and Teva having kids that the mood changed.

"Are you alright?" Ororo asked, noticing that Teva had stopped eating.

"Logan and I have'nae had a chance to talk about it yet and I'm a little afraid to bring it up." She pushed away her food, folding her arms protectively over her abdomen; what little she'd gotten into her stomach was beginning to feel as if it would come back up. "I dinnae even ken if I can have kids, 'Roro. My mother had quite a few miscarriages and I was really a fluke; her mother had similar problems, though she had a few more children, and her other daughters never had any children. I never went to a doctor over it but I never wanted to ken."

Ororo touched her arm, giving her a squeeze. "I do not wish to add to your dismay, but it is also very rare for two mutants to be able to conceive, it was a ... source of contention between Forge and I. Are children something you wish for?"

Teva shrugged. "That's just it, I dinnae ken. I ken what kind of life mutants can expect and I dinnae think that I'd want to bring a child into that. And being an X-Man means I might not make it back one day. There are just too many what-ifs." She looked at the other three women, all who had known her mate longer than she had. "Has he ever said one way or the other to any of you how he feels about kids?"

Kitty nodded. "He's always felt uncomfortable around them, even when they're older, I know it took forever for him to get used to me and Jubes here. I think he doesn't know what to do with them, how to handle them, but with the way he spoke to me once about Itsu makes me think part of him would want that. There's really no way to know without asking him, y'know?"

"Aye, I ken that's what I need to do. The thought just makes me sick to my stomach."

Ororo declared that enough shopping had been done, though Teva insisted she was fine and didn't want to cut the trip short just because she was upset. Still, it touched her that they rallied around her and got her home. Kitty made a date with her to give her hair a dry-run and then she was on her own, feeling aimless despite knowing what she needed to do.

The mansion felt deserted with everyone out on a weekend, though she found Hank and Remy going at it in the gym playing racquetball, and Rogue was running sims in the Danger Room with some of the junior members of the X-Men; Teva sat up in the control booth for a few moments watching Hisako being subtly prepped for a leadership role over her peers. She was yet another of Logan's 'strays' no matter her circumstances in coming to the school, and they had a strange relationship due to his years spent in Japan and her family history. It had been insanely amusing the first time Hisako had discovered Logan spoke her language and her grumblings were fully understood.

Her cellphone rang, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" telling her it was Aardwulf.

"Aard, where the hell have you been, you sexy bastard?" she asked by way of greeting.

"Breakin' hearts, sweetie, an' kickin' asses." His Southern drawl filled the line like honey, always a welcome sound. "And I hear you're off the market come next Saturday. That ugly little Canuck o' yours finally decided to make an honest woman out of ya?"

She snorted and switched the phone from one hand to the other as she went outside, shoving her other hand in her pocket. "Well, news certainly does travel fast."

"I heard it on VH1 'fore I got the invite."

"Oh gods." She groaned, her hand reemerging to cover her face. "Sometimes I forget how much of a circus my life used to be. Even now I dinnae turn on the telly more than I have to but at least things had started to die down after I got kicked out of the band."

"That's the life, Teva, ya knew that goin' in. Just be glad ya ain't got paparazzi followin' ya around like you're J-Lo or somethin'."

"My butt is'nae that big."

Aardwulf laughed. "Nah, but it's nice. Shame you're off the market."

"More's the pity, Aard, you'll nae get another chance with me."

"I'll die a bereft man, then." She could imagine him with a hand over his heart as if stricken and the image made her grin. "I'm happy for ya, honey, I really am. I knew as soon as I saw the two of ya together I was lookin' at somethin' most of the rest of us ain't ever gonna be lucky enough to find. I'd be honored to be there for ya on your big day."

"Thanks, Aard. If you need a place to stay we've got more than enough room here at the mansion."

He snorted. "Right, 'cause I wanna be around a buncha kids. Thanks for the offer, Ginger, but I'll make arrangements elsewhere. I'll be in on Friday."

"I'll see you then." The smile remained on her face even after they said their good-byes, even as she realized her feet were taking her towards the boathouse and the unmistakable mental signature of her mate.

She thought back to the first time she'd seen him here, not too long after coming to the Institute. She'd felt raw and vulnerable then, too, for different reasons, and she'd just begun to realize she had feelings for him. She remembered how he'd pushed her away and was glad that things had changed, for the better, and now it was she who was avoiding what was in her heart.

"Hey, baby," he greeted her, tugging her down to sit next to him on the edge of the dock. "Have fun with the girls?"

"Aye, found what I was looking for."

"Then why ya feel like yer world's comin' down around ya?" He wasn't the type to let her ignore her feelings, especially when he could feel them like ants marching along his skin. "Talk to me, Tev. Ya haven't said much since the night yer dad called."

That was another thing she'd deliberately not been thinking of. Her mother had been buried some hours after she'd regained full consciousness following the mission in Brooklyn. "We have'nae talked about kids," she said finally. "About us having them."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Are kids somethin' ya wanna have?"

Teva told him, haltingly, what was on her mind, physically pulling away from him, folding in on herself as if expecting a negative reaction; it was something she hadn't done for months now, hadn't felt the need to do. "And 'Roro told me it's nearly impossible for two mutants to conceive, anyway," she finished.

Logan was silent for a long moment, and she could feel him thinking. "We lead dangerous lives, we never know what's gonna happen when we go on a mission. An' me ... I got this animal in me an' sometimes I gotta let it out, gotta run. It ain't fair to you when I do it an' I don't want a kid thinkin' I hate 'em." He reached for her hand and she took it but still didn't look at him. "Even if we beat the odds, those same odds are high we'd have a kid with an active X-gene an' that's somethin' else I don't wanna burden a child with."

He touched her face then, made sure she was meeting his eyes when next he spoke. "Don't think less o' yerself just 'cause ya can't have kids. Even if I wanted some, we could always adopt, ain't like I'm such a stranger to that concept."

Teva couldn't help the smile that made her lips tremble. "You do seem to have a penchant for collecting strays, so to speak." She breathed out. "I've been making myself sick over this, I kept thinking... I know how joyful ye were when ye found out Itsu was pregnant, how much ye loved that ye were going tae be a father."

His gaze was intense, so much so she wanted to look away but found she couldn't. "The man married to Itsu ain't the man yer marryin', Tev, he's been dead a long time. I love you, I want you, ain't nothin' in the world's gonna change my mind and I'm a right stubborn bastard when I wanna be."

"Aye, well, ye are that." He could be a Scot he was so hard headed.

He kissed her forehead and pulled her in against his body. "How ya doin', otherwise? 'Bout the situation with yer parents, I mean."

She shrugged. "I'm getting over it. Having him call the other night was like tearing open a wound I thought long scarred over and I thought it was going to eat at me more than it has." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I cannae change what happened and in a lot of ways I made my peace with them a long time ago. I've got people and things more important tae focus on than a woman 3,000 miles away and six feet under."

"Now that's the Teva Lawson I know." He cleared his throat. "Speakin' o which, I got somethin' I need to ask ya."

"Oh?"

"'Bout last names." He rummaged in the pocket of his shirt and came out with a cigar and lighter, going through the motions of lighting up to keep his hands busy. "I know a lot of the time women who've done stuff under one name keep it so there's no confusion."

"I would'nae mind taking Howlett as my name, Logan."

"I don't want ya to," he said, a slight growl to his voice. "I don't want the name, either, it don't mean a thing to me. Belongs to someone long dead I barely remember. So I wanted to know how ya felt about me takin' yer name."

Teva jerked a little in surprise and stole his cigar to take a few puffs so she could order her thoughts. "Well, that's about the last thing I expected tae hear. I certainly dinnae have a problem with it." She gave him back the cigar. "So that's settled, then. And I was thinking we could take that camping trip up to Canada now instead of waiting for the summer, no sense in waiting."

"Aw, c'mon, I was hopin' we could go somewhere involves you in a tiny bikini and lots o' tannin' oil."

She batted at the hand that was sneaking up towards her breast, giving him a glare she only half-felt. "I dinnae do tiny bikinis, pervert, not even for you."

"Who said you'd be wearin' it for very long?" He leered at her with a wolfish grin and nipped playfully at her chin. "I don't plan on either of us worryin' about clothes for at least 48 hours," he said, using his hand on her arm to pull her off-balance so that she was lying on her back and he had her pinned.

"Do ye ever have anything other than sex on the brain?"

"Well, sometimes it's violence, other times it's food, I ain't exactly complicated." He smoothed his hand over her hair, tugging on the end of her braid when he got to it. "Though come to think of it, goin' up to Canada don't sound too bad. I got a place up there I ain't been to in years, as long as ya don't mind roughin' it."

Teva rolled her eyes at him. "Have I ever given you reason to believe I'm a priss who does'nae like getting her hands dirty? All I care about is getting away with you for a while and taking thorough advantage of what I hope is a secluded cabin."

"Plannin' on makin' a lot o' noise?" he asked, smirking.

His cellphone went off and he frowned at the tune of "SexyBack" as he pulled the phone out of his pocket. "Remind me not to let Tony touch my phone ever again," he said when he saw who it was. "What the hell do ya want, Tin Man?"

Teva snickered and sat up when he released her, listening with amusement at the insults the two men seemed to be trading. Stark had likely just gotten sick of everyone he knew having Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" as their ringtone for him.

"No, Stark, you don't get to be in charge of my stag party," Logan said, rolling his eyes at Teva. "Because _Kurt's_ in charge. You can throw money his way but we ain't havin' strippers."

"Jesus Christ," Teva muttered under her breath as Logan talked Tony down, hanging up with a cheery, "Fuck you, too, Stark."

"Y'ken I dinnae care if there are strippers."

Logan rolled his eyes again, reaching out to play with the end of her braid. "Yeah, I know, but why'm I gonna go look at fake tits when I've got someone willin' and waitin' back home?"

Teva couldn't say why that made her eyes sting a little.

"'Sides, it's gonna be difficult enough doing paintball with people like Bucky and Clint kickin' everyone's asses."

"And they're gonna go straight after you since you can take it." Teva leaned in and kissed him. "I'm still no sure what Ororo is planning for my Hen's Night, but at least I ken she will'nae let Jubes talk her into anything ridiculous."

Logan pulled her close again with an arm around her shoulders. "You feelin' better, darlin'?"

"Aye. All I needed was you."


	6. Chapter 6

Rain from a late spring storm pattered on the roof of the small one-room cabin in the Canadian Rockies and washed out the scenery around it, making everything seem hazy and slightly distant, the moisture in the air robbing one's perception of depth. The raindrops occasionally hit the top of the chimney and hissed into steam.

Inside the cabin Logan stirred from sleep, eyes immediately going to the woodstove where he could see only a few glowing embers left from the fire that had kept the outside chill at bay all night.

Carefully, so as not to disturb his mate, he pushed back the covers and cursed when his bare feet touched the cold floor though the surrounding air was still comfortable.

He built up the fire again, thought about making a quick dash outside to replenish the pile of wood but decided it could wait until later when one or both of them was dressed and it wasn't so damned cold outside.

Teva stirred when he crawled back into bed, shifting onto her side facing away from him so that he could spoon her from behind, sliding one arm around her to cup a breast.

She sighed and shifted against him, making need and goosebumps skate across his skin, his fingers pinching her nipple so that she responded in sleep with a soft moan that made him become painfully hard.

He let his hand slide down to her hip and squeeze for a second, eliciting another, deeper sound from her. It was incredibly easy to arouse her in sleep, even more than when she was awake, and he wanted to see how far he could push her before she woke up.

The hand on her hip slid down slowly, under the edge of her underwear and lower where he found her already wet and open, her body responding even if her mind wasn't awake, and he easily slid a finger into her.

She moaned again, shifted restlessly, her hips rocking in response to his touch. He kissed the curve of her neck down to her shoulder before setting his teeth over the scars he'd created years ago now, the place where he'd marked her and claimed her as his.

Slowly, gradually, he let her get the friction she wanted against the palm of his hand, now fucking her with two fingers.

He could feel her beginning to spasm around his fingers, her moans growing a bit louder and her body shuddering every few moments as he increased the pressure of his teeth.

Logan knew the moment she woke up because she reached up and back and gripped his hair, clutching as he broke the skin and took her up and over. Her pleasure slammed into him, too, through their link, and he was glad he had such strong control over his body's responses.

"Mornin'," he said smugly when she finally stopped thrashing against him. He licked gently at the wound, the slow trickle of blood that was already disappearing.

"Mmmmm," she replied, her voice nearly a purr. "That was a lovely wake-up." She stretched her arms up, her eyes opening when she finished, and he watched her pupils widen when he lifted his hand and sucked his fingers clean. Her breathing, which had started to return to normal, sped up again along with her heartbeat. She bit her lower lip and then grinned, dimples appearing in her cheeks. "My turn."

Teva reached for his hand and touched the back, fingers finding the scar tissue that had built up over the decades. "Give me a claw, love," she said.

He raised an eyebrow but complied, letting one slide out a few inches. Another burst of lust shot up his spine when she guided it to cut off her underwear, the destroyed garment flung off somewhere in the cabin, followed quickly by her shirt which she shimmied out of.

"Retract it," she said, laughing softly. He was sufficiently distracted by her unclothed state that he'd forgotten to do so. He had to exert conscious control to retract the claw with a soft snakt .

She pushed him onto his back and straddled him, pressing his cock between their bodies and sliding against him with the wetness between her legs.

"You gonna tease me to death?" he asked, having to grit his teeth to get the words out.

Her answer was to rise on her knees and take him in, and even with the orgasm she'd had it took her a few strokes to sheath him completely.

"Ah, god," she breathed out, settling back down, hands on his chest. "I dinnae think I'll ever get used to this."

"To what?"

She leaned down, capturing his mouth in a slow, devouring kiss. "How much I need ye," she answered finally. "How much I love ye, how much I want ye like I've never had ye before."

Logan tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering along the curve of her jaw. So close, even in the dark, he could see in her eyes what she'd said, what she felt that flowed over the link between them; he'd wondered if she'd ever rely solely on the bond to let him know her feelings and appreciated that she didn't, that she was as at ease with telling him what was on her mind and in her heart as she was just letting him see and feel it.

"I know, baby," he said, bringing her close to kiss her again. His eyes closed and he groaned when she broke free and began to ride him, slowly at first, her eyes locked onto his when he opened them. "Harder," he growled, gripping her hips to direct her, keep her grinding against him.

Teva obliged and picked up speed a little, too, crying out when he reached up to roll one of her nipples between rough fingers, making her jerk against him. Her nails raked down his chest, too short to draw blood but leaving pink marks in their wake before her hands rose back up to grip his shoulders hard enough that she left momentary bruises. The strong muscles of her legs held him tight and worked tirelessly, aided by her minimal healing factor, to keep up a brutal pace that soon had them both crying out. Her body arched backwards with the force of her second orgasm and she became almost painfully tight around him; his hands left marks on her hips where he gripped her while they rode out the pleasure.

She collapsed on top of him, breathing hard and occasionally twitching with aftershocks.

He stroked her back, not wanting to let her go quite yet, and in those moments where they both returned to earth, he was hit with a realization: he was content. He'd been chasing that elusive feeling for so long that he hadn't even recognized it until now, in the quiet where the only sounds were the slackening rain and the crackle of the fire; it was a warm, solid feeling in his chest where before there had been only pain and darkness, and he prayed to a god that he didn't believe in, prayed that he wouldn't lose it now that he had it.

"You wanna get up?" he asked when she'd stilled again.

"Are ye mental?" She huffed and moved off of him, curling up beside him. "It's still cold, the sun is'nae even up yet, and I'm on my honeymoon, ye numpty. Let it wait."

The blankets had gotten kicked askew with their lovemaking and now he pulled them back up, tucked her in against him with her body cradled along his arm, her head on his shoulder. Between the two of them heat returned quickly.

"It feel weird to you?" he asked, stroking her hair. "Being married, I mean."

Teva snorted. "A little, I suppose. I dinnae have your experience with it, this being my first time." Her hand lay flat on his chest, over his heart, the left with its wedding ring. "Feels strange to think of ye as Mr. Lawson when I've only ever known ye as Logan."

"That's the only name I've ever known until a couple years ago, besides Wolverine." His words took on a low growl. "An' that ain't a name I much like usin'."

She turned her head slightly, kissing his shoulder. "Ye can add 'husband' to your list of names, _a chuisle."_

"'A chuisle'?" His lack of accent mangled the Gaelic endearment a bit, but it still sounded like 'acooshla' as she'd pronounced it. "That's a new one."

"It's something my grandda used to call my grandmum, when I was a wee lass and they were still alive." Teva projected a sense of longing and loss speaking of the only elders she'd had who'd loved her. "It means 'heart's blood' or something thereabouts. Usually only used among blood relatives but, well, I think between the two of us we've shed enough o' that particular substance for each other."

"Sounds about right." He could hear the sleepiness in her voice. "Go back to sleep, darlin'. Ain't nowhere we need to be."

* * *

After coffee and a hearty breakfast they finished repairs on the cabin. When they'd arrived the day before the roof had been in poor shape; they'd taken care of that right away so it would be a solid shelter, saving the rest for the next day. It was mostly just patching holes, shoring up some weak points in the walls and floor. The stack of firewood against the front wall by the door needed to be replenished, so Logan took care of that while Teva cleaned up inside and put away the groceries they'd brought along for their stay.

The woods surrounding the cabin were a combination of wild and somewhat tame, the latter from Logan's off-and-on efforts to create a small clearing around the building and a traversable path allowing access from more main roads. The trees ranged from deciduous to conifer and offered both shade and protection from the elements, though shade wasn't as much of a necessity with the temperature hovering in the 50s.

After lunch they headed into those woods. A hawk wheeled overhead casting a shadow on the ground. The slightest rustle of groundcover off to the left made Logan freeze and, behind him, Teva followed suit at the same moment as she'd been taught.

Both remained still a few moments more, scarcely breathing when the rustling grew louder and a doe broke through with a fawn following on shaky legs.

 _~Baby ain't but a few days old~_ he said over the link.

He heard Teva's breath catch when the two deer stopped, the doe lowering her head to nudge the foal when it faltered.

 _~I cannae believe we're so close~_ she replied.

 _~Let's get closer.~_ He could feel her surprise and nearly laughed out loud. _~Just do what I do. Move slow, quiet, and stay behind them. We're upwind so they won't catch our scent.~_

As one they stalked forward noiselessly with Logan in the lead, inch by inch, until they were barely more than a foot or two away. Logan lifted a hand to touch the fawn and just brushed his fingers over the soft pelt before the two deer bolted at the sound of something large crashing through underbrush.

A huge buck in a lather from running hard burst out in front of them, eyes wide and rolling, and when it saw them it bolted away in the same direction as the doe and fawn.

"Somethin's wrong," Logan said, lifting his head to scent the air. "Ain't any predators around here would spook a buck that size. Let's get back to the cabin."

When his enhanced sense of smell failed to tell him anything he reached out with something else, that sixth sense most humans have of being able to sense the presence of someone or something. It was the same kind of sense that prey animals had, an evolutionary holdover from when humans weren't as close to the top of the food chain as in modern times, when they were just as likely to be hunted as they were to hunt. Whatever it was made the skin between his shoulders itch and he hunched them, his body instinctively crouching slightly in preparation for a fight.

The door of the cabin was standing wide open.

"There's someone inside," Teva said softly, voice pitched only for his ears. "I dinnae- Shit!" Her hand remained steady as she drew her gun, one of the XD-45s riding on her hip.

"Hey kids, sorry I missed the wedding." Victor Creed sauntered out of the cabin looking inordinately pleased with himself. "But I know Logan is a sentimental sort so it wasn't too hard to figure out where you guys would be."

"Have you ever considered seeing a therapist?" Teva asked, already pushing calm at Logan. "I mean, your obsession is a bit much, aye?"

Creed snarled, half-amused. "Maybe, but you should ask your new husband what the definition of insanity is." He stalked down the stairs. "Keeps findin' women, keeps fuckin' 'em and then fuckin' up their lives."

Logan finally growled. "Why are you here?"

The bigger feral rolled his eyes. "You ain't that stupid, Logan."

"Then tell your masters I ain't comin' back. The answer's always gonna be the same."

"Well, good thing it ain't just you here, then." Creed tilted his head slightly and then grinned.

"Vicky's not alone, either." Deadpool popped into existence behind Teva, the cold barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her neck. "Drop the gun, Red, let's make this easy."

 _~You still got Kurt's 'porting?~_ Logan sent over the link.

 _~It's gone, has been for a few days.~_

 _~Fuck.~_

"Just do as he says, Teva."

* * *

Teva dropped her hand and then the gun. Deadpool wrapped his arm around her middle to keep her from moving.

"You got any others on you?" he asked. He smelled like cotton candy and rot, his voice slightly muffled through the mask.

"She's clean," Creed said. "Can't smell any more."

"Aww, no fun."

"Would you two stop fuckin' around?" Logan snapped. "Ain't in the mood for games."

"Too bad, because you're gonna play by my rules if you want your girl to make it outta here alive."

Teva swallowed hard, suddenly nauseated and wishing she'd accepted Hank's offer of a mini-Cerebro that would have enabled her to reach out with her telepathy all the way back to Westchester instead of being limited to a handful of miles at her current strength. It hadn't seemed necessary at the time. Fucking hindsight.

"First rule." Creed came down the last couple steps and tossed something that clanked towards Logan, who caught it and let out a snarl. "You don't follow the rules, she dies slow. Second rule, you wear those or she dies even slower."

A lot of info hit Teva at once: the cuffs were adamantium, which meant unbreakable, and could only be opened with the key or adamantium picks. Logan was considering if he could move quickly enough to hit Deadpool and knock away his gun before he could get a shot off and before Creed could react. He also wondered if Teva could hit Creed with some kind of psychic blast to disorient him.

 _~He's got some kind of shielding now~_ she sent, not bothering to shake her head.

 _~No point with Wade, either.~_ With a sigh, Logan complied with Creed's demand, the cuffs closing around his wrists tight enough to hurt.

Creed let out a low chuckle. "Man, if I'd known it would be this easy... But it's almost better, lettin' you think I'd leave you alone, that I wouldn't collect on breakin' this frail like I broke the others-"

Teva bucked against Deadpool's hold, crying out when he let the barrel of the gun scrape and then dig in at the base of her skull.

 _~I'm not gonna let him kill you, just play along.~_

The shock of the merc's voice in her head, which she couldn't reply to, was enough to make her still again, at least until Creed stepped up and grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her forward, away from Deadpool.

She wanted to fight, wanted to break free, the urge even stronger with the rage that was beginning to bubble inside of her, partially hers and partially Logan's. It made it more difficult to concentrate, more difficult to insulate the link between them and keep herself as a separate entity.

"Y'know," Creed said conversationally, pulling her close and leaning down so he could murmur in her ear, "I didn't even think about the fact you smell like him. That you smellin' like him and fear would get me so fuckin' hard."

"Ye like to talk a big game, Creed, but ye could'nae perform last time, could ye?" She knew she shouldn't taunt him but it was too difficult to stop herself.

He responded by turning and slamming her body against the wall of the cabin, one hand around her throat; the impact took her breath away but whatever damage it caused was healed in moments as she drew hard on her link with Logan, her healing factor amping up in response.

"But this time, you ain't got weapons, and you can't get in my head." He pressed close again, his breath along her face raising gooseflesh. "And I can smell the healin' factor you got, which means you can handle more damage than you could before, and I am so lookin' forward to seein' how much you can take."

Teva could feel his claws digging in from the hand around her neck, distinct points of pain, her awareness heightened so much she swore she could feel his individual fingerprints against her skin.

He loosened his hand and let her drop back to her feet, drawing in a breath through his nose and then shaking his head before looking at her.

"Run, frail."

She looked at Logan for a split second but didn't wait for an answer. She ran.

Her own heartbeat pounded in her ears, vision narrowed down to details, fallen logs and low tree branches in her way that she flowed around like smoke, her own training kicking in combined with Logan looking out through her eyes. Despite all their time together, she was sure they hadn't gotten this deep before, like one had been superimposed over the other. Not sure where one began and the other ended.

Her enhanced hearing let her know Creed wasn't far behind. She couldn't press farther than his surface thoughts but even that was enough to almost make her falter: greed and lust and a sadism that was more animal than human. Not much different from the Weapon X base where she'd first met him but she wasn't the same woman she'd been three years ago, wasn't the easy prey he wanted.

Teva dropped and rolled, almost laughing when Creed leapt past her. The look on his face when he landed and rounded on her was half anger and half joy, skidding over dead leaves until he came to a stop a few feet away.

"He's ridin' you right now, ain't he?" Creed asked, head cocked slightly. "Wasn't sure how mated you were, how much o' him you carried."

She rolled her eyes, trying to push back the screaming in her head telling her to attack, to fuck him up until there wasn't anything recognizable left.

Rather than question that impulse, she ran with it, launched herself at him when he wasn't expecting her to immediately go on the offensive.

He managed to pull his head back from her fist but she compensated, spun and kicked him in the stomach hard enough to stagger him just the slightest bit.

"Well, then." Creed lunged at her, using his claws to swipe at her and open superficial cuts along her upper chest when she tried to dodge.

She knew where to hit him to do the most damage, no matter that her own skeleton wasn't coated with adamantium and she couldn't put as much force behind her attacks as her mind was telling her to. Her hesitation between thought and execution meant her next punch was dodged completely and met with a backhanded slap across her jaw that left her sprawled on the ground with her ears ringing.

 _~Teva.~_

 _~Little busy here.~_ Teva blinked and found herself standing on the astral plane, Logan's hand on her arm. _~We dinnae have time for this.~_

 _~Time runs different here, remember?~_ He pulled her closer, one hand on her cheek. _~Listen t' me. This ain't gonna work if you keep tryin' to fight him like you're me. You can mimic my training and my experience but you weren't built to be a weapon.~_

She sighed, eyes closing. _~Then what do ye suggest? Ye cannae get out of those cuffs, not even if ye dislocate your hands, and that's assuming Deadpool does'nae overwhelm your healing factor with a full clip of bullets.~_

Teva pulled away, pacing a few feet back. _~We are worse than fucked.~_

 _~D'you trust me?~_

She finally opened her eyes and looked at him. _~Y'ken I do.~_

Logan took her hand in his, fingers worrying at her wedding ring. _~You think too much, you're relyin' on logic instead o' instinct, and you can't do that with him. He'll read you three steps ahead.~_

 _~But if you take more of me, more of my animal, we can get you through this.~_

Teva swallowed bile but she nodded. _~I can take more of your healing factor, too.~_

 _~I'm sorry, darlin'.~_

 _~Don't-~_

 _~Teva.~_ His hand tightened on hers. _~Vic's after me, not you, always has been. Shoulda dealt with him years ago.~_

Teva choked out a laugh. _~I'll no disagree with ye there.~_ She let him pull her closer, press a kiss to her lips that tasted of ashes.

 _~Fuck 'im up.~_

She slid back into her body, rising to her feet as she opened herself further to her mate, let his beast fill her with his feral nature. If she thought she knew what it was like to be him, to use his enhanced senses in the past, she'd been wrong.

Everything became clearer, sharper. Colors and scents took on depth and nuance and she fought not to be overwhelmed by that, let it wash over her until it became her own instead of something foreign and wrong.

Sabretooth growled, lips pulling back in a snarl. "What'd you just do?"

Teva inhaled, took in the fact he wasn't so confident anymore. "Leveled the playing field," she replied, her own voice taking on a rougher quality.

He leapt at her and she dropped again, reaching out as he flew past her to grab a handful of blond hair so that his flight was aborted and her steel-toed boot hit his face.

The response was more claws, opening up deeper cuts down the side of her neck and her shoulder, enough to temporarily make her lose control of her right arm.

Creed circled away then, wary now in a way he hadn't been before.

That's it, the beast in her head purred. Ain't as fun when the prey strikes back.

Teva didn't let him go for long. She closed the distance, hands in fists to release claws she didn't have but she could still hit him, aim for soft tissue rather than bone, damage tendons and joints that weren't reinforced the way his skeleton was.

Creed caught her by the throat again, slamming her body onto the ground even as she bucked against his hold, tried to kick vulnerable parts. She could feel the rage boiling off of him, the way coherent thought and speech didn't come as easy when the man wasn't in control anymore; she was nearly there herself and she couldn't lie, it was exhilarating.

She felt her breath being cut off by his hand around her throat, the other hand using claws to cut away her jeans, catching skin in the process in bright stripes of pain. She knew what he was trying to do, that he was done fighting and wanted to hurt her the only way he knew how to hurt a woman.

Rage and fear exploded in her head, her own and Logan's, so that she thrashed to get loose.

Her fist against his shoulder shouldn't have caused the reaction it got, shouldn't have made him roar in pain and scramble to get away from her, her blood coating his hand like sticky paint.

The pain of the cuts he'd left ebbed as a new pain bloomed in her hands, became more insistent and then she saw why, why he was now afraid:

From the backs of each of her hands, just above the knuckles, came three blades of pure blue psionic energy. It hurt worse and felt better than anything, coursing through mind and body like a high.

She felt Logan's shock and then fierce pride, far away like their link had stretched and warped to accommodate this new ability.

The sharp ache of the cuts along her stomach and pelvis and thighs ebbed and then died as skin knit back together but she was already moving again, lashing out with claws and fists, faster than Logan since she wasn't as heavy without an adamantium skeleton.

Creed still fought with claws but it didn't matter now, not with him descending further into his own feral rage. He'd never been like Logan, never been able to control himself as easily, never had the humanity or discipline to temper it. He didn't worry about accidentally killing his opponent.

Teva barely needed to adjust to the claws. She already had Logan's memory and knowledge of how best to use them. It felt good, it felt right, to slam the blades into Creed, to feed off his pain and his anger and his fear.

He had a longer reach, though, and used it to wrap her in a bear hug that pinned her arms at her sides.

She reared back and slammed her forehead into his nose, cartilage breaking and dull pain spreading through her head. She pulled one arm free so she could shove her thumb into his eye.

Pain exploded in her abdomen, Creed digging his claws in through tissue and muscle, her body spasming at the intrusion until all she could see and feel was red rage.

She felt his eye pop, heard him roar and then choke on the sound when she slammed her claws into his skull.

The entire world heaved and spun when he threw her, hard enough that she felt bones break against a tree and then the ground. She could hear him growling but she couldn't move, couldn't open her eyes, not with shock setting in.

Teva reached out towards Logan, slid down the link the way she had so many times seeking comfort and warmth. All she found was the cold and darkness.

"Logan?" she whispered, barely able to move beyond a twitch.

"Stay down." She recognized the voice as Deadpool, fingers gently touching the pulse in her neck. "Play dead or you're gonna be for realsies dead."

It wasn't difficult, even with the increased healing factor, to obey. Her body wasn't used to this, already shutting down in shock from overuse.

"I'll make sure your friends find you but I can't save him, too."

She wanted to ask what he meant but it was too late. Darkness was pulling her under and she didn't have the wherewithal to fight it.


	7. Chapter 7

Logan knew it was a mistake as soon as he was back inside his own body. He felt the link flex, then Teva _pulled_ and it was like someone had attached a rope just under his ribs and handed the other end to the Hulk throwing a tantrum.

He came to a few moments later staring up at Deadpool's stupid mask. The merc was sitting on his ass, scratching his forehead with the barrel of his gun.

"So, uh, what just happened?" Deadpool asked, grabbing a handful of Logan's shirt and pulling him up into a sit. "'Cause it felt like a psychic shockwave just went off and we were at ground zero. Also why aren't you fighting like a rabid weasel?"

Logan squinted, reaching out down a link that felt staticky and fragile in a way it hadn't since it was first established without being fully anchored.

Everything had happened so quickly, from Victor telling Teva to run and her taking off, already beginning to pull on their link to aid her in navigating through the woods. He'd been more than happy to help her, couldn't deny that there was something slightly intoxicating in sharing a body instead of just thoughts.

He'd felt their heartbeats sync up, hers slowing some to match his while he did his best not to distract her with the fact he felt otherwise helpless.

The more she'd pulled, the more he'd begun to understand more clearly what it was like to be her, to feel someone on a visceral level. Creed's emotions had felt like blood on an oil slick, made both Logan and Teva want to flinch from it.

Through her, he'd been able to see what Creed was doing, hear what he was saying, watch his body language and then feed Teva the information she needed to stay alive. They'd done it before but never on this level, never so quickly or so smoothly; as soon as he'd had the thoughts they were hers to use, his body memory became hers.

The pain of Creed backhanding her had made Logan recoil, too, and then he'd seen what was wrong.

She didn't _think_ like him, didn't _live_ like him. She didn't live with that wild, feral, _not human_ thing in her head all the time, whispering dangerous and ugly urges that could keep her alive when everything else was telling her not to listen to her gut.

But as soon as he'd told her to take it, to use it the way he did, he'd understood on a fundamental level that she couldn't control it. He'd thought he was giving her a controlled storm without grasping that, in her hands, it would become a hurricane.

Logan remembered what it was like to not have that part of him, back when he was still a small, sickly little boy. To not have the feral rage, to not feel one step removed from everyone else.

So now he reached out down the link and tried to insulate it, tried to guide it so she was less nuke and more flame-thrower, but once it was out of his hands, he couldn't stop it. He had to trust things wouldn't go wrong, had to trust his mate would survive.

Deadpool shifted and then stood up, looking off in the direction the other two had gone. Even with his enhanced hearing, Logan couldn't catch much, but then again, he was straining every part of himself to not lose their connection when he could feel it fraying apart.

Logan surged to his feet when Creed put Teva on the ground, was halfway across the clearing before the back of his shirt was grabbed.

"Uh-uh, Wolvie. Not your fight."

"The fuck it _ain't-"_

His reply was cut off by searing pain in his head and then his hands. He looked down expecting to see his claws out, felt a moment of panic and confusion before he reached out again and saw what was happening with his mate.

 _Well, how 'bout that?_ It had never occurred to him that she might be able to manifest a psionic weapon like Psylocke's katana or the various firearms Quentin Quire favored.

He was terrified for her, but fuck him if he wasn't also proud and in awe of how resilient she continued to be. He wished he could see her in action from the outside but even as a passenger in her head, she was breathtaking, more graceful than he'd ever been even before he'd gotten the adamantium.

Creed's fear was nearly shocking. It made him hesitate the way Teva had, made him stop trusting experience and instinct; weapons made of psionic energy hurt in a different way from anything solid, made nerve endings and synapses stutter and burn worse than fire or acid.

Teva used that, let it guide her, all while feeding off Creed's fear, his hatred, but he finally used the one thing he had left: longer arms and brute strength.

She fought, couldn't _not_ fight, but it wasn't enough. Not breaking his nose, not destroying his eye, he'd gone past the point where pain overrode action. And her borrowed healing factor could only take so much with her mind already overloading.

Logan pushed as much as he could at her, felt her reaching out to him in her panic and agony, and then he was on his knees again as pain beyond description stripped everything back, scoured away every last shred of sanity and awareness.

He thought he heard Deadpool move away again but every sense he had was on fire and he couldn't sort through any input, couldn't trust anything his senses were telling him.

 _~Teva?~_

There was nothing, not even a twitch from the link. He couldn't even get into the room in his mind, the one she'd helped him build and shore up.

The world lurched and slowly he fell forward onto the ground, didn't even care that his hands were still bound, cuffs digging into his wrists and his stomach. Physical pain was a distant, abstract concept.

"Why do I always have to clean up his fucking messes?" he heard Deadpool grumble, then the sound of footsteps moving away, then nothing for a few minutes.

Logan was pulled abruptly back into physical awareness, his body being jerked upright until he was on his feet again.

Deadpool held him effortlessly with a grip on his shirt. "Look, man, I'm sorry for this. It ain't what I wanted."

"Fuck you," Logan spat, opening his eyes to see that Deadpool also had an unconscious Creed leaning against his legs. The bigger feral was a mess, the remains of his eye drying down his cheek, long blond hair matted with blood and leaves and mud.

Deadpool snorted. "Yeah, okay, dude. We got places to be." He touched a small gadget at his belt and Logan felt the distinct pull of a transportation device as the darkness from before reached up and pulled him under.

* * *

Everything was pain. She couldn't move without it, even breathing was a study in agony, like someone was pressing down on her chest with something both heavy and sharp.

She remembered waking up, staring up at a forest and the sky but not feeling afraid, just exhausted.

She dreamed of crawling through a briar patch, each inch a wash of pain, and every time she became aware again, she'd moved.

At some point she found shelter, something with familiar scents that spoke of safety but was also layered with the scent of an intruder, a predator. But there was a soft place to curl up, to sleep and hope that maybe, eventually, she'd wake up and everything would be okay.

It could have been moments or eons that she slept. Time ceased to have any meaning in that safe place, even as some part of her was aware of the passage of day and night.

 _~Teva.~_

The voice was gentle, somewhat familiar, but she didn't want it there.

 _~We will be home soon,_ liebchen. _You are safe and we will put you to rights.~_

There was another presence, familiar in many ways, floating just in her periphery, never clear enough to pinpoint but she trusted it.

 _~I know you don't want to wake up, Teva, and I wish you could sleep through this.~_

If she thought she knew what pain was before, she'd been wrong.

She woke to searing-bright light and voices around her that she didn't immediately recognize.

* * *

Kurt Wagner had seen some awful things in his life, but the sight of Teva's body when they found her ranked fairly high on that list. All four limbs had sustained numerous fractures and lay at unnatural angles; once they cut through her clothing and stripped her down to her tanktop and underwear, they could see the extensive damage to her sternum and ribs as well.

He'd wanted to look for Logan, see if there was any indication what had happened, at least until Betsy Braddock had assured him there was no sign of their Canadian teammate for miles in any direction.

The only way they'd make any headway would be to get Teva home and stabilize her, since she was the only one who knew what had happened.

Lying on one of the diagnostic beds in the mansion's medbay, she looked so small and broken, like some child's discarded doll.

"It worries me that this is the second time we've brought her home to find something drastic has happened," Hank McCoy said, directing the Shi'ar-tech scanner to do its work. "She should not have fully-healed fractures in a space of days, her healing factor isn't this strong."

"Why don't we focus on fixing this mess and then figuring out what caused it later?" Betsy said, trying not to bite off her words.

"Can you hold her down, Betsy?" Hank leaned hard with his hands on the Scottish woman's shoulders, trying to avoid the crookedly-healed fractures. "I'm afraid that actually touching her is going to make this worse."

Betsy grunted ascent, the purple glow that represented her psionic power flaring to life in the shape of a butterfly. "Keep talking to her, Kurt," she said, directing her TK to hold Teva down as gently as she could. "You're the only one she seems to trust."

" _Ja,_ on it." Kurt shifted out of Hank's way, moving to stand at the head of the bed. No one in the room had any idea why he was the one she reacted to even slightly positively, seeing as they weren't close the way he and Logan had been. All Kurt knew was that she calmed somewhat when he spoke, and he was willing to do anything for his best friend's mate.

"You are safe, Teva, I promise you that. We cause you pain not to hurt you but to help you, and it will be over soon."

A low growl trickled from between Teva's gritted teeth but she stopped thrashing, eyes moving rapidly between the three before settling back on Kurt.

Hank reached for Teva's right arm, eyes fixed on the screen in front of him as guidance for where the fractures were, where the bones needed to be rebroken.

A loud crack sounded like a gunshot in the room and then Teva was screaming again.

"Keep holding her until until the bone knits correctly or this is going to take longer than any of us would like," Hank said.

"I've got it, Henry," Betsy replied. "I'm doing my best to block the pain signals but it's difficult to do both at once."

Hank gave a pleased sort of hum, watching as the scanner showed him blue rather than red to indicate healing.

"Alright, left arm next."

Teva screamed again, her voice already going hoarse, and she bucked against the telekinetic hold Betsy had on her.

Kurt continued talking to her, in both English and German. She didn't flinch away when he touched her, his fingers teasing away some of the tangles and forest debris in her hair, but even that wasn't enough to completely distract her when her left arm and then both legs were rebroken and set correctly.

"Betsy, I'm going to need you to help me with her sternum." Hank pointed with one claw to the screen. The fractures were like jagged red fault lines radiating outwards.

"I don't know if I can do three things at once," Betsy protested, "much as I've boasted about my abilities in the past."

Hank looked at the screen and then back at Teva before lifting his eyes to Betsy. "Focus on keeping her still and helping me, the pain will be momentary."

Kurt sucked in a breath at the thought but continued his murmuring, segueing into the Lord's Prayer in his native German. He knew Teva was just as much an agnostic as Logan, but he found he needed the strength his faith gave him.

"Alright," Hank said, "as quickly as possible, Betsy."

Purple psionic energy flared around Teva, concentrated around her torso.

Kurt found himself halfway across the room on his ass, fetched up against another diagnostic beg. He blinked a few times in confusion, found Betsy on the floor beside him, one hand thrown out. Hank was on the other side of the room.

"What just happened?" Kurt asked.

"Psychic blowback from her empathy in reaction to the pain, I'd wager," Hank replied, getting to his feet.

On the diagnostic bed, Teva was crouched, held back from doing anything more by Betsy's TK. The Scottish woman growled again, a soft, dangerous sound that didn't sound right coming out of her.

"We're not dealing with Teva," Kurt said, slowly rising as comprehension dawned. "Or at least not all of her. Something has happened with her bond with Logan, she is acting like him."

Teva focused on him, teeth bared in a snarl as blue blades of pure psionic energy slid from her clenched fists.

"Well, those are certainly new," Betsy remarked.

Teva felt the brush of the British woman's mind and shook her head, pushing her away, more out of habit than anything else. The only pain left was in her hands.

Kurt moved forward slowly, his odd three-fingered hands held up to show he was no threat. She recognized him as a friend, as a brother, in a way that didn't feel quite right.

"It is alright," he said softly, fearlessly reaching for her. "Betsy, let her go. She is scared but she won't hurt me."

Teva felt the force holding her disappear, the purple glow fading. The pain that had colored everything was gone now and she knew she was home, knew she was safe here.

Kurt touched her arm as she let her claws fade, his skin colder than she remembered it being, or maybe she was warmer.

"Are you alright?" he asked, relieved when she accepted his comfort, shifting so that she wasn't crouching on the bed. "Can you tell us what happened to you and Logan?"

"Logan?" Her voice was hoarse to her own ears, and then she collapsed forward into Kurt's arms, tears spilling down her face. She could feel his shock and concern.

"They took him."


End file.
